Behind That Smile of Her's
by starfiresusan18
Summary: Who would've thought such a simple and meek girl,who came here for a purpose no one knew she had,had a whole other identity sealed inside of her,ranked worldwide above top-level and a legacy she never even asked for laid upon her shoulders. And here he was in his self-centered bubble,cursing his unlucky life while she's out there giving out what little luck she had,to the needy
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Hello readers… This is my first time writing a fanfic… But please try reading the first chapter... Its kinda like a prologue but a little long.. I tried to be as expressive as I could so that you could feel the situation.. I don't know whether you will like this or not.. But please don't ignore reading this story.. I want to know how you all feel.. I mean.. I want to know whether I should continue this or not… This idea has been in my mind for quite long but I was afraid to convert it into a story…cause I don't think I am good at writing… The first chapter may or may not be boring.. especially first two or three paragraphs… But I promise you.. It will get better…In the next chapter, which I will post soon as I read your opinions…**

**This is NaLu story, with other pairings. And this story is based on real world..**

**So please read this and let me know your honest opinions. Whether it was too long. Or too short.. or too descriptive.. There may be mistakes or errors.. And English is not my first language… But please don't be too hard on me.. Gomene for the long author's note… I am so nervous. That's why…**

**Disclaimer:****I do not own Fairy Tail… It belongs to Hiro Mashima sensei…**

**CHAPTER-I**

**PROLOGUE**

_'….I don't believe in friendships_

_I don't believe in true love_

_I don't believe in happily married life_

_I don't know what, having a family means because I don't believe in them anymore_

_I don't believe in true happiness_

_I don't believe that dreams come true….._

_…..Because I am scared to believe_

_I don't know what to dream for, anymore_

_Because I have lost the will to live…_

_…the will to live for myself ...'_

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><p>'Purple Fire'<p>

This nightclub is at its peak hours now. The time being around 11 p.m. in New York… Huge bulky guards at the entrance, checking the id proof of long queue of people…men and women, waiting to waste the night away…

Inside….. Blaring music…A vast dance floor illuminated by disco lights of various colors…Atop the far off corner of the dance floor, the DJ plays the music moving according the beats of the songs he plays, with headphones hanging carelessly off his shoulders.. Men and women on the dance floor… Some dancing to the beat of their favorite music, having the time of their life… Laughing and shouting over the blaring music…. Amidst these… Men and women can be seen rubbing their bodies with each other… to be exact… grinding their bodies with each other… Some can be seen…trying to seduce the other…biting or licking ears of their partners…whispering or murmuring dirty words…. Blowing seductively into the others ears… some with their faces so close that, the other can probably feel the hot breath of alcohol mixed with expensive perfume, on their faces and neck, making them want more…. In the far off corner of the dance floor… one can see couples making out… Some in the heat of their pleasures… Some in the midst of teasing or being teased… Some on the verge of going home and getting lucky for the night….

Off the dance floor…. At the bar counter lit by neon lights… Bartenders tend to the need of the customers who are already wasted.. some alone.. others flirting with each other.. Some drinking away the night to ease their tensions or depressions… Others eying the crowd trying to find potential ones to get lucky with, for the night…. At the tables… people can be seen having fun… laughing and enjoying the company of the group…

Off to the VIP rooms…. These are reserved for people who do not want to be disturbed, having their own party…

In one of the rooms, a man, adorned in smoking, long-sleeved, maroon dress shirt paired up with faded blue jeans and black converse…. Top one or two buttons are opened… Giving one, a slight peek of his well-toned chest glistening in sweat …muscular shoulder and well defined collar bone… The shirt clings to his body in a way; one can see how lean and well-built he is, in a teasing manner to one's eye…. He has his head tilted slightly down… Giving one, a perfect view of his oddly colored hair….spiked up in all direction defying gravity itself.. But as one gives a quick glance at his hair...one word enters the mind… _pink…_

One woman clings onto his arm as if it was her lifeline…squishing and rubbing her cleavage onto his muscular arms… She wears a strapless dress that reaches below mid-thigh, that fits her body, a little too perfectly, in a way that her breasts will pop out of the top part of the dress any moment… Heavy make-up adorns her face… with a thick coat of lipstick and an eye shadow and mascara over eyes, giving her slutty look… A pink tinge coats her cheeks probably due to the amount of alcohol in her system…

"Natsu-sama….."

An irritated sigh escapes the man's lips… Taking a deep breath, he glares at his raven-haired partner, who has a sexy smirk on his face and murmuring words into the ears of an equally slutty woman next to him. The woman, in turn laughs seductively in response. Oh, how dearly he wishes to wipe that stupid smirk off his face and beat him up for bringing him to this goddamned place... And all the more… He wants to beat him up senselessly for hooking him up with a slutty woman… Why did he ever let this raven-haired idiot hook him up with a girl he chose…

Natsu was never the one to hook up with girls…especially slutty ones… He usually goes to this club once in a while when he feels the tension of work and life building up on him…

"Natsu-sama….." The woman again slurred…Heaving out another irritated sigh, he turned his head slightly to look at the woman clinging onto him…He hated women like her… Looking to hook up with men like him… to have the time of their life… to go to parties and places and enjoy at the expense of men like him… To sleep with men like him, just for fun and pleasure of it… To enjoy the spotlight of being the lucky girl who gets to be so close with men like him….

"What is it?" . It took all his will-power to keep himself from pushing the woman off of him.. The stench of heavy alcohol, more heavier than the one he was having, hit his nostrils and he cringed his nose in disgust… "Let's go to your place and make out…." The woman whispered seductively, or at least tried to sound seductive but failed due to the fact that she is wasted… Rubbing the bridge of his nose with his free hand, he closed his eyes for a moment, to calm himself… '_Why the hell did agree to hang out with this one_'.

True…He did want to hang out with a woman… But not to the extent that will lead to one's bed…! He just wanted to have a different atmosphere… He had long given up the goal of finding a girl who was different from others he has seen and met… one who was fun and daring and smart and independent…who dates him for _him _and not for money or fame. During college, he had tried to mingle with women. At first, they would be all smiles and laughs. Then the next thing you know, they will want to go out for shopping to make you expensive dresses and jewelry for them and go to big fancy restaurants and will want to get into your pants…! He has ever since stopped dating…

He sighed again for the umpteenth time that day…

'_Women are all the same…..'_

* * *

><p>Somewhere over New York… In a distant sky…<p>

A blonde woman sighed for the umpteenth time…. Her silky blonde hair cascaded down, and reached below her shoulders… She wore a loose white button up shirt with three-fourth sleeves decorated with black flowers, with top button open showing off her collar bone and milky skin…. Paired with a dirty blue jeans and flats… Headphones were plugged into her ears as she looked out the window beside her… She is currently travelling in a plane to New York where she had to join a multinational company as the post of software developer next week…

She was travelling alone with no one to receiver her at the airport…. It's her first time travelling far away to a distant continent… far away from her _home… _Her cousin had already booked an apartment complex for her…. And she has yet to see it… All she knows is that she will be sharing the apartment with four more girls and that those girls also work in the same company as her… But they will not be there when she reaches there since they have gone home for the time-being… Unfortunately her cousin couldn't pick her up from the airport since he has classes that time and lives all the way on the opposite side of America...

She was nervous…. Since she will be all alone in a foreign country… And the chance of her finding her way through this place was difficult with no one to help her and all… But she was determined… She had promised herself that she won't depend on others and she will prove _them_ that she isn't weak and fragile and dependent girl she used to be….

"Attention all passengers. We are nearing New York airport. We will be prepare for descend shortly. Please fasten your seatbelts. Thank you"

Checking the time on her metal strapped wristwatch… 00.00 a.m. Looking out the window she could see the clouds of the dark sky clearing out to show the land below… The lights below looked like tiny stars…. A sudden rush of anxiety mixed with fear entered her shook her entire body at the moment…Her mouth became dry. She suddenly felt cold and goose bumps started to appear on her fair skin...She suddenly wanted to go back…

Taking in a deep breath in order to calm her nerves… '_Come on…You can't turn back now.. You've reached this far… That itself is a start… There is no need to be afraid…..Deep breaths. Com-'_

_"_Ma'am..?", startled by the voice, she looked to her side to find the air hostess looking at her with concern.. " Yeah?", was the only word she could muster out of her lips. "Are you alright? You look a little pale? Do you need anything? Some water perhaps?"… "Yes, please..", her voice was low, but the air hostess heard it anyway.. She went back and brought her a small bottle of water.. The blonde immediately took it with both hands…not trusting herself for fear dropping the bottle… She immediately opened the bottle and as soon as the cool water washed over her dry mouth, down to her throat she immediately felt relieved..

With a soft smile, the hostess asked, "Do you feel alright now?". With a slight nod, the blonde looked up at the air hostess, offering a weak smile and muttered, "I feel fine now, thank you very much". "Glad to hear that. Now, will you please fasten your seat belt? The plane is about to descent". With a small nod, she fastened her seat belt and the hostess went back to her station…

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"Attention all passengers…We have arrived New York airport…Hope you enjoyed your flight. Thank you for travelling _xxxxx _Airways".

….Finally.

With a deep breath, the blonde stepped out of the plane and entered the terminal… Standing in a queue at the checkout point, she observed her surroundings… There were people waiting at the other side.. Some waiting for their loved one to return… Other waiting for a friend or a cousin… Seeing them all, she felt a small lump building inside her throat… Swallowing thickly, she looked outside the large glass walls, that separated her from New York… It was dark out. But the street lights lit the road and there were still little life buzzing out there, given how late it is… Checking her watch, it read 01.30a.m. Soon she will be out in New York, on the way to her apartment.. She still couldn't believe she was that far away from home…_home…._She took a deep breath….

"Ma'am?". Looking to the side, a man dressed in uniform was looking at her with his hands extended…. "Ma'am, may I see your passport?". "Oh, sorry..". Feeling embarrassed, she fished out her passport along with her ticket and handed it to the officer. The officer opened her passport and read her details.. "Lets see… Ms. Lucy Heartfilia..". The blonde responded with a nod. "Are you here for business or pleasure?". The blonde responded with "For business..", in a faint voice. But the officer heard it nonetheless. The officer gave a gentle smile, "Very well.." and stamped it. Offering a curt nod and a smile, the officer handed back the passport to her.

"Welcome to New York, Ms. Heartfilia…"

**Sorry for the boring chapter.. But I promise to make up for that in the next chapter, which I will upload as soon as possible.. But I need your opinion on this.. whether I should continue this or not. It will really be great if you guys gave me your opinion. But please don't be hard on me. Please review. So that I will know whether to continue or not. If there are any errors or mistakes please fell free to let me know. And let me know if there is anything I should do to change the way I write…**

**Thank you for your time…**


	2. Chapter 2: Crossing Paths

**Hello, readers. Wow. First of all, I didn't think that I will get this much reviews and favourites and follows. Thank you so much. **

**SkyFairies****: You are my first reviewer.. For that, Arigatou…**

**Natsu isn't a player here. He went to the club to meet girls. So that he can take his mind off things…personal to him. As mentioned, his previous failed attempts in relationships consisted of girls who only liked him for money and fame and for how handsome he is. That is why he gave up finding the one. That girl with him now... she latched onto him as soon as he gave her a smile. That itself shows that the girl is a flirt. Natsu isn't a player. I am so sorry if you misunderstood here. He hates flirt women. I will make it more clear in later chapters. Thank you so much for your lovely review. I didn't think I would get a review this fast. Thank you so much. If you have any opinions or suggestions about whether i should make changes in my writing style, please feel free to let me know. Thank you again for your time. I hope the chapter wasn't that boring or short. Feel free to PM me also. I will update as soon as possible. Maybe tomorrow itself. Feel free to give me your ideas and suggestions. Also in pairings also... Yeah, NALU rockzzz...**

**Arigato...**

**weareneverbroken: ****Thank you for that opinion. I actually used it to make it seem more like… there is a flow. Especially when describing something. To give the readers a feeling like there is a continuous flow between the sentences. I mean, I used it for description. But it seems I've used it too much. Hehe. I will try to reduce that. Arigatou. Other than that I hope you liked the beginning? Is it too descriptive or boring or long? Thank you for your suggestion. Feel free to give suggestions. I hope I haven't used the ellipsis too much in this chapter.**

**I also want to thank the following people for their Favorites:**

**SkyFairies**

**The Johno 23**

**Fafaaf61**

**mari1999jimenez**

**I also want to thank the following people for their Follows:**

**Abbyren1516**

**Hatsune Cherry**

**Smile1470**

**mari1999jimenez**

**xReiMei**

**I have made small changes in the previous chapter, in the paragraph where Lucy arrives at the airport. It seems that when I read the chapter again, I found there were little mistakes. **

**Now, onto the second chapter. Hope, this is to your liking…**

**Enjoy..**

**DISCLAIMER: ****I do not own Fairy Tail. It Belongs to Hiro Mashima sensei.**

**_Previously_**_:_

_'…__.I don't believe in friendships_

_I don't believe that true love is real_

_I don't believe in happily married life_

_I don't know what, having a family means because I don't believe in them anymore_

_I don't believe in true happiness_

_I don't believe that dreams come true….._

_…__..Because I am scared to believe_

_I don't know what to dream for, anymore_

_Because I have lost the will to live…_

_…__for myself '_

… '_Why the hell did agree to hang out with this one_'.

'_Women are all the same…..'_

_._

_._

'_No.. Don't….Get over it, Baka…' _

_"__Welcome to New York, Ms. Heartfilia_ …_"_

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><p><strong>CHAPTER-II<strong>

**Crossing Paths…**

01.40 a.m.… '_Best to get going now, before she falls asleep all over me. I hope I remember to kick that stripper's ass… That is, IF , I see him tomorrow' _

_"_Stripper, we better going now. Unless you wanna make her your _girlfriend…_" With a sarcastic smirk, he looked over to his raven-haired stripper-friend to see him glaring right back at him. Brushing him off, he heaved the already wasted woman's arm onto his shoulder and supported her up and followed Gray and his woman-friend out of the VIP room, past the dance floor and out into the cold night. "Want to help you take her to your car, ?" Glancing to his side, he saw one of the guards at door look at him with concern. "Oh, no problem.. Thanks anyway". With a curt nod the guard turned back. Turning back to the front, he gritted his teeth seeing his raven-haired partner flirting with that chick with a stupid smirk on his face.

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"Wipe that stupid smirk on that face and start the car, you damn stripper"

"Yeah, Yeah. Don't get your panties in a twist flame-brain" … Heaving a huge sigh, trying to calm his nerves, and shoved the wasted woman into the back seat of the car….

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><p>Her chest bubbled with something that she couldn't comprehend with. Maybe, excitement? No, that can't be right. But, she <em>was<em> excited. Excited, that she was going to spend he oncoming days here, in New York. But she wasn't just excited. She was anxious. Anxious, to see her apartment. The place where she would be spending her days to come. She was curious. Curious, of what her company was going to be like and how her roommates will be like. She was afraid. Afraid, to meet with new people. She was afraid that she won't be able to blend in with the new surroundings. She was afraid that her roommates won't accept her because she was a foreigner here. She was afraid that she won't be able to get along with people at work. She was afraid that she will mess up things at work and hence result in losing her job. If that happens, she wouldn't know what to do. How would she face her mother? She won't bear to see her face. She was sad. Sad, that there is no one to help her out here. Sad that she is all alone in a place so foreign to her. Sad, that she is far away from the place she was used to… _Home… _For once, she regretted, choosing to travel far away from _home…._

A small lump began to build up inside her throat. Her chest began to bubble with emotions and feelings she couldn't recognize. Her vision started to get blurry. '_You are supposed to be over this.. Then why now…of all times.. You promised you will be strong… You were confident that you will not regret going away from that place… Just… just..don't think about it now.. Distract yourself… Yeah, that's right…. Look outside.. You are in a new place.. A __**new continent**__, for crying out loud… How could you not look out and admire it… And here you are, wallowing in self-pity….Baka…Now deep breaths… That's it.. Inhale…. Exhale… There…. Now you are starting to feel better… You are stupid…You know that…' _

She couldn't help but laugh silently to herself at her stupidity… To talk to herself in her mind.. She must be going delusional. '_It must be probably due to the effects of being alone for some time now…_'

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to relax herself and tried to empty her mind of negative thoughts. Looking outside the window, she observed the dark midnight sky and the new scenery. She was currently on her way to the apartment complex and she was thankful that her cousin had sent her the directions and arranged for a car just in case, she has trouble in hailing any.. And thank god for Navigation Apps in mobile. Or God knows whether the driver is taking you to the right place.. You can't trust people especially when you are a foreigner…. She would check her navigator, every now and then to make sure they are going the right way. All those news and stories she heard, and the small experiences she had endured in the past, had taught her to never trust anyone. She observed the tall buildings and the shopping complexes, adorned with glass walls, making them glisten in the little light provided by the moon… She tried to see if any stars were still out.. But since it was almost morning, only one or two were visible.. And also it is a city full of buildings. To see that many stars, one would have to go to the countryside or a clearing…

She let out a depressing sigh. Watching the stars always calmed her nerves. They helped her take mind off things. Even if the stars are so far away, it always amazes her to see each star trying its best to outshine the other.. Trying to shine and give out maximum light, no matter how far or how small it is.. It always try its best, before it burns out. It is sad that the stars have only a limited lifetime. But, they always make the best use of their time and tries to shine brightly in every way possible.. Seeing them, she feels that she has to try her best and show _them _that she is not who _they _think she is… Closing her eyes she silently prayed to God to give her the strength to move on…_'I will try my best…I wi-'_

"Ma'am…?" Brought back to reality, she turned her head to see the car driver to her side, holding the car door open for her. "Ma'am.. We have reached.." Taking a deep breath, she stepped out slowly . Cold wind hit her skin, giving her goose bumps all over. There, in front of her stood a large building in white. She didn't know how many floors this building had. All she could think of was how tall this building is. It was like a huge skyscraper. She has never been to apartments like these. Not in her country. She has never been to one. But here she was. Going to be one of the residents in this freakishly huge apartment complex. All thoughts about home, all negative thoughts were forgotten now. She wondered what the view would be like at the top. She stared at awe and wondered which floor she would have to occupy. Her cousin had told her it was _surprise _and had told her that the owner will be there to show her to her apartment, by the time she arrives. The building looked high-class. But she wasn't worried about the rent, considering the fact that she has a well-paying job in one of the most reputed and famous multi-national companies in the world. And once in her life she was proud of herself for that. Proud that, she has reached here on her own. Proud that she has got a job in one of the most reputed companies of the world, that everyone would kill for. Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes, took a deep contented breath and silently thanked God.

"Ma'am, Would you like me to bring your luggage to your floor?"

And just like that, she was broken out of her thoughts again….

* * *

><p>'<em>Thank God, she is passed out. Or else, I would have thrown her out of her window, if one more <em>_**Natsu-sama **__came from her mouth….Stupid stripper. Always trying to give me a headache' _

"Come on Gray. We are leaving and put your damn shirt back on before she thinks you wanna sleep with her..", a tick mark appeared on Natsu's forehead as he pointed to the said girl who had flustered expression on her face. She was too wasted to process that Gray had took his shirt off… "Ah, dammit…" The raven- haired male scurried off to find his shirt and put it back on, shooting his sexy smirk on his face in the woman's direction.

Another tick mark appeared on Natsu's forehead. "Give it a rest will ya, stripper?", Dragging the said-stripper, by his collar, out of the apartment, he slammed the door closed and walked into the elevator to go back down and back home….

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The cold wind hit his skin like needles, giving him goose bumps all over. Oh, how he regretted leaving his scarf behind. He only avoided wearing his trademark scarf, so that no one would recognize him in that club. True, anyone would recognize him by his pink hair. But with disco lights flashing all about the club, no one would make out his hair, through all those colors… Gray was on phone with someone at the moment… '_Geez, who would call him at this time of the night? He never gives it a rest…' _He checked his watch… 02.15 a.m. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the cold morning air. It was relaxing, and immediately a sudden wave of drowsiness hit his body…

"Ma'am, Would you like me to bring your luggage to your floor?"

He was broken out of his trance… Turning his head to the side he saw a black car parked in front of the complex and he could only make out a man, probably the driver and a blonde woman. She currently had her back turned to him, so he couldn't make out her face. '_Must be one of the residents..' _He took in her appearance. She was wearing a white collared top with black flower prints here and there with folded three-forth sleeves covering her arms. The top hugged her body perfectly, but not too tight, in a provocative way. But the top accentuated her curves at the right places.. She paired it with dirty blue jeans and flats.. '_At least this one is wearing __**something**__, unlike the one I just dropped off... Good to see a change of attire in a woman… I hope this one isn't wasted.. given the time of the night...'_

"That won't be necessary… I can manage myself. Thank you for your offer. I am grateful enough that you had offered to pick me up at this hour from the airport…"

'_Wow, if that's what she sounds like….Then….'_

At that moment, the words got stuck somewhere in his mind as the blonde turned around, giving him a perfect view of her face, illuminated by the faint moonlight… Heaving her luggage towards the reception area of the complex, with the driver in tow with another set of her luggage.. As she passed by him, a breeze swept by at that exact moment, through her hair. The scent from her hair, hitting his nostril… the sweetest and softest scent he ever encountered… He was frozen to his spot…eyes wide…

"Thank you for your service. I am so grateful.." He was broken out of his trance.. Turning around, he studied her face.. Pale skin.. Chocolate brown orbs shining in the faint light of the reception area.. Her bangs framed her face perfectly and her hair flowed down to beneath her shoulders.. There was a tired look in her eyes.. '_Probably after all the travelling…' _ But, one thing caught his attention… '_Her smile… It's gentle, yet weak…But, why do I feel that it's… it's… fake…?_'

The blonde paid the money to the driver, which he responded with a grateful smile and polite bow. She didn't seem to notice his presence or was ignoring his presence..

"Ms. Heartfila?"

Both turned to look at the source. A middle-aged woman wearing a brown skirt and white saggy blouse with a ribbon beneath the ruffles of her collar, with sandals adorning her feet, grayish white hair tied up into a neat bun, had walked up to the blonde, offering a heart-warming smile…

"Yes that's me.. You must be the one who owns this complex…" , the blonde asked with a small smile in return. "Yes dear… Welcome to Fairy Hills.. My name is Hilda. You can call me Hilda-obaachan. That's what the residents here call me. I hope you had a safe trip?".. "Well, it was safe but a little too long and tiring. Thank you for asking. Oh, and I am so sorry to have kept you up so late.. You must be really tired after staying up so late… ", the blonde gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, that's nothing, compared to how tired you are, after all the travelling you have done.. Let me go get the keys to your apartment.. Wait here.."

Natsu watched in silence from a safe distance. The owner didn't see him there or he would have been ratted out.. The blonde slumped a little when the landlady left.. Stretching herself a little to release the knots in her aching muscles, she took in her surroundings… "Come on.. Let's get you to your apartment…". Startled from her reverie, she began to heave her luggage. "Oh my, that is a lot of luggage. Want me to help you with those?".. The blonde immediately shook her head, " Oh please, no.. I couldn't possibly make you carry them. Besides, these aren't as heavy as they seem.." The owner sighed and smiled gently, "Very well then.. Follow me…"

The blonde began to heave up her luggage two in a row and dragged them to the lift. The owner was already there waiting for the lift doors to open up. While the blonde made way back to carry the last of her luggage, Natsu was observing her from afar.. '_Those suitcases sure look heavy… Maybe I should he-'_

"Hey there. What is a beautiful woman like yourself doing out here at this time of the night. Want me to help you with those?", the raven-haired man had popped out of nowhere, and extended his hand to offer his help. But the blonde just passed him by, as if he was not there…

'_Where did he come from…' ,_Natsu thought, as he watched the blonde ignoring his raven-haired friend, with an expressionless face, as if he was some sort of ghost. Leaning on the wall, he watched with an amused expression, as Gray's jaw hit the ground, watching the blonde walk off to the lift with luggage in her hands. A silent chuckle rumbled in Natsu's throat. _**The** Gray_ got brushed off by a _hot blonde_.. Gray's flirting approaches never went wasted.. Even less… unnoticed… Every time, Gray smiles or turns to look at woman, she will approach him and talk to him… or at the least…spare him a glance with a blush.. But there he was.. in all his freakishly handsome glory (.. not that Natsu would ever tell Gray personally or he would never hear the end of it.…), ignored by a hot woman… And for the first time in his life, he couldn't help but admit that, this woman maybe different…

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The elevator bell dinged, breaking Natsu out of his thoughts… Looking to his side, he saw that Gray's mouth was still open, shocked by the fact that, his approach was neglected… Chuckling lightly, Natsu dragged Gray off, pulling him by his collar… "Come on…Gray-_samaaa…"_

_"_Shut your trap, flame-head.."

Natsu chuckled again, as he shoved Gray into the car and closed his door. A cool breeze blew by, ruffling his spiky pink locks… Turning around, and raking his spiky pink hair with one hand, with other one in his jeans pocket…the pink-haired man stood there looking up towards the dark sky… a small smile lingering on his lips.. his thoughts revolving around a certain blonde…

'…._just __**maybe**__…__. just __**MAYBE….**__she must be different from all those women I've seen and met…..'_

**I do not own Fairy Hills.. And Hilda is the same Hilda in Fairy Hills OVA.. and she is alive here. But she is a little OOC here. But I will change that...in time…**

**I hope you found this chapter to your liking…**

**And to all those who are reading this…I hope you have enjoyed, a little reading this chapter. I hope it wasn't too boring or crappy… Please review. Let me know how this chapter went. SHOULD I CONTINUE THIS? PLEASE.. PLEASE….tell me. I am really nervous now. I don't know whether you liked this or not. Let me know if I should change my writing style. WAS IT TOO BORING OR CRAPPY OR DESCRIPTIVE? PLEASE…PLEASE…TELL ME…**

**Please review. Thank you for your time….**

**Arigatou Minna… **


	3. Chapter 3: Remembering your words

**Hello again, dear readers… I am so happy to read all your lovely reviews. No…wait.. To say I am happy will be an understatement. I actually…have no words to describe how I felt when I read all your reviews.. I was really nervous actually about how you guys will react. And I am filled with emotions that I have no words to say right now… I didn't expect to receive this much reviews and follows and favorites.. I am so happy and I can't help but say this…. "I'm all fired up…Hehe".**

**I would like to thank those who reviewed and all those people for their follows and favorites. I am so happy. **

**To those who reviewed.. I have replied along with your reviews itself. Nevertheless…**

**KanaeHitomi****: Thank you so much. And I am happy that you look forward to the story progress… Thank you for the comment…**

**xRedHoodieX:****I am glad you feel that way about the story. And thank your comment too.. I am happy now. Like your username, by the way… YEAH …LETS GO NALU…..**

**Kimsue22:****Why… Thank you for your thought.. and thank you for your encouragement.. It really means a lot to me. I am so happy now. =)**

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**AND….**

**This chappy might be a bit boring…I don't know.. I was just trying get my point across… I want to describe the setting. Gomene...if this was too boring. And if you feel that way I apologize for wasting your time. And I promise to make the next one a little more interesting. Please review…**

**Just to be clear **

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

_"__Past speech"_

**DISCLAIMER: ****I do not own Fairy Tail. It Belongs to Hiro Mashima sensei.**

**Previously:**

_'… __You were confident that you will not regret going away from that place… Just… just..don't think about it now..'_

_._

_._

'_Wow, if that's what she sounds like….Then….'_

_._

_._

_"… __Welcome to Fairy Hills.."_

_._

_._

'…._just __**maybe**__…. just__** MAYBE….**__ she must be different from all those women I've seen and met…..'_

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER-III<strong>

**Remembering your words….**

"Ms. Heartfilia…". Breaking out of her thoughts she looked to the source. "Dear, we have reached your apartment floor. My… Is it me or you're spacing out more often?". With a slight chuckle the owner walked out of the lift. The blonde scolded herself for spacing out again. '…._And that too, when someone was there talking to you.. What was so important to ponder over, that you had to tune out what she was saying to you… Oh, right… That player… Ugh… Why should guys be such jerks…Why can't the- ' _

"Ms. Heartfilia….!"

'_And there I go spacing out….AGAIN…'_

Flinching at the stern voice of the owner, the blonde turned to look at a frowning woman, with arms crossed against her chest, tapping her foot impatiently on the white tiled floor.

"Ehehe.. Sorry..?", the blonde gave a nervous laugh and heaved her luggage into the hall. The hall was dark at the moment with a few dim lights here and there to light the way. The walls were painted beige, and plants were placed at appropriate distances near the walls, giving a homey touch to the hall. With a turn of the key, the owner opened the door to her apartment. The blonde heaved her luggage inside and the closed the door. She walked in through a small corridor-like space which opened up in to hall. As soon as she placed the luggage down, and lifted her head up, her whole body froze.

To say she was amazed would be an understatement. Her jaw literally dropped, at the view before her. She stared in awe, turning around slowly, taking in the view. She would be lying, if she was to say that it was a big apartment. It was a ginormous apartment, the size of a big mansion. She was currently standing in a big hall with a chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling. There was a large living room furnished with three three-seat lavender colored couches arranged to form a part of a square. There were two lavender colored recliners at the corners, in between the couches. All the couches and recliners were adorned with fluffy cushions of various shapes and colors with various designs adorning them. Some with clouds and rainy scenery adorning them. Some had words printed on them. Some had swords with shield-like designs on them. Some with wine bottles and glasses. '_Wow..That's a lot of cushions..' _In the middle, an ornate coffee table was present. The couches and recliners were all arranged to face a large flat screen TV fixed to a wall which was painted burnt violet. There were small compartments, built in the wall, on both side of the TV and beneath it, where stereos and woofers were attached. All in all, it looked like a sitting room cum home theater.

To the left of the hall, was the dining room. It had a large round table with a number of chairs. Mats were neatly stacked off to one side of the table and a crockery stand stood in the middle of the table. To the far-left of the hall, near the dining table consist of a glass shelf, which had ornate plates and cups arranged in them. The wall with the shelf was painted custard yellow.

"And….this will be your bedroom..", the blonde was broken out of her reverie and she turned to see the Hilda holding a door open. The blonde strutted off, still not being able to absorb the fact that this is the place she will be staying from there on.

'_Woah, if the main rooms are like this…Then the bedrooms mu-' _The blonde froze in her spot at the doorway. Her eyes widened to size of saucers. '_You've got to be kidding me…' _The room was amazing. The main wall was painted passion fruit with the surrounding walls a soft yellow. A queen size bed stood to the right side of the room, near the window adorned with curtains. A large work table with drawers stood off to the left side of the room, with an office chair near it and a small table-lamp stood off to the side of the table. A cupboard was present near the work table. There was a corridor-like space which led off to door. '_Must be the bathroom..' _Yet there was another door…A double-door to be exact, in the middle of the space between the corridor and the window, on the opposite side of the bed. The blonde wondered what it would be and was about to approach it and…

"I hope you find the apartment to your liking. When the girls heard that they were going to have a new roommate, they were so happy and excited that they arranged and furnished this room. They even made the bed for you" , the owner chuckled. "The girls were dying to meet you. They even planned that they would all go home at the exact same time of the month, and come back during the week of your arrival, so that they could give you a 'Welcome To New York' party.", the owner remarked, gesturing air quotes at the 'Welcome To New York' with her bony fingers, "…but unfortunately you arrived in a little early than expected.", Hilda sighed. The corners of the owner's lips curved into a small smile. She shook her head and sighed, "Those girls…"

The blonde couldn't help but feel a little warm at heart and her vision started to get a little blurry due to tears forming at the corner of her eyes. A small lump formed at her throat. She swallowed thickly and blinked her tears away, not wanting the owner to see her like that. She shook her head, to drive the newly forming feeling. '_No…Not yet…' _

"The view from this apartment floor is great, actually…", the owner strode out of the bedroom and into the main hall, gesturing somewhere. The blonde dragged her eyes to where Hilda was pointing at and her eyes landed upon a large portico adorned with curtains. The portico was situated to the far-off side of the home theater/living room. The blonde walked across the living room to the portico and moved the curtains out of the way. It was closed by sliding doors. Sliding the door open, the blonde stepped out into the space. Her eyes landed on a mini sit-out like area, which consisted of a blackish-brown granite platform where people can sit and enjoy the view. Railings were present behind the granite platform and plants where placed off to side which consisted of a small creeper which had wound its way a little around the railings with small flowers…. The blonde looked beyond the railings and her eyes widened. The view was amazing. She could see, almost the entire city and beyond from up here. Or at least half of the entire city. She observed the dark sky, the tall trees nearby whose leaves rustled in the cold wind. She was amazed at how high she was, from where she was standing.. '_Which floor are we on exactly…'_ She had spaced out during the whole ride in the lift, that she failed to notice the floor number shown on the indicator..

"Um… May I ask… Which floor are we on…?"

The woman sighed, remembering that the blonde had spaced off.. '_Probably due to a tiring journey…' _ Offering a gentle smile, "We are on the 20th floor actually… Two floors from the roof, to be exact…" The blonde's jaws literally dropped. '_20__th__ floor… Damn.. This IS one hell of a surprise, Kev… You sure kept your word..Hmm… I have to thank him later…' _

"Look at the time.. It's going to be sunrise in a few hours. Go get some shut-eye. After a long journey you must be really tired now… Make yourself at home.. After all, this is where you're gonna stay from now on.. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. Good morning.."

'_Sunrise…?' _A little confused, the blonde checked her watch… 03.45 a.m. Indeed, it will be sunrise in a few hours…

"Take care... Oh and Ms. Heartfilia..?.", the blonde tilted her head towards Hilda, "Call me Lucy.."

"Very well then…", the owner closed her eyes for a moment and opened them, her eyes glinting, with gentleness, "Welcome to New York…. Lucy..",

"Arigatou, Hilda-obaachan…", the blonde nodded with a weak smile in return..

Offering a warm smile and a curt nod, the owner placed the key to the apartment and a slip of paper with her number on it, on the coffee table, and walked out, closing the door after her.

The blonde let out her breath, which she didn't know she was holding and slumped her shoulders a little. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to herself. '_Hmm… I still can't believe that I am gonna be living here from now onward… Kev sure did a great job in surprising me..'_, the blonde chuckled lightly to herself. A cold wind blew, making the curtains covering the door to the portico, flutter vigorously. Shivering slightly, she strutted towards the portico, to slide the doors close. As soon as she reached the curtains, a sudden urge to glance behind the curtains and beyond the portico railings, hit her. '_Just one last glance and then off to bed….'_ Stepping out, she closed her eyes, and took in the cold air, which refreshed her body and calming her nerves. Her chest swelled with pride for herself… All these years of striving, had paid off…and she earned it... '_But…but…I don't deserve it….' _

Opening her eyes, she let her eyes wander around, to distract herself, taking in her surroundings... It was quiet now, except for the sound of the occasional rustling of leaves and the ruffling of curtains behind her. She listened to the sounds, a faint smile lingering on her lips, as she enjoyed the symphony of the surroundings…

A sudden feeling of loneliness filled her heart and her limps trembled slightly…Her body shook a little. She bit her lower lip to prevent them from trembling. Squeezing her eyes shut to prevent the tears from falling, she gripped onto the railings to support her slightly shaking body..…

A cool breeze blew by, caressing her face, making her blonde locks flow along with it, like a golden waterfall which glistened in the dim light of the moon. She felt the breeze through her hair as if it was caressing her hair, like a mother would do to her child to calm her….

She took a deep breath to try to calm her nerves. Another cool breeze hit her face…. Startled by the sudden coolness, the blonde opened her eyes to look up at the dark sky adorned with a very few lonely stars.

Her eyes landed upon one particular star… The star was shining brightly, amidst the others… She gasped a little, as her eyes widened slightly…

'_… __When you see a star shining at you… _

_Always remember that… I am watching that star….._

_Telling it to tell you that I am there with you and that..._

_ I am remembering you with a smile on my face…._'

Her vision began to blur, as tears began to prick at the corner of her eyes… '_Mama….._' A lone tear slid down her cheek, a weak smile adorning her face…

'_I am there with you too…..._'

* * *

><p>Jingling of keys echoed throughout the dark uninhabited apartment… A door opened slowly, revealing a disheveled spiky pink hair…. Its owner dragged himself into the apartment, locking the doors behind him… He had his eyes closed, head drooped down and shoulders slumped a little….<p>

Throwing his keys onto a nearby table, he tiredly made way to his bedroom, in the dark, not bothering to turn on the lights to his living room….A loud thump of something hitting the dining table echoed throughout the empty hall, followed by a small hiss and a curse… '_Stupid table…_'

Entering the bedroom, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt with one hand, while turning on the lights in the room with the other. He squinted his eyes against the sudden brightness that flooded his room. Walking over to his dressing mirror, he scrutinized his half-naked dishevelled figure. His well-defined, tanned chest glistened in sweat. Sweat drops trickled down from his pecks to his well-defined abs and down to the v-line below, that disappeared behind the waistband of his jeans…. reflecting the light flooding the room, providing a teasing sight to a woman's eye. He studied his face. Faint dark circles were starting to form under his eyes and he looked tired. His hair was a mess, spiking in directions, even unknown to man. His face also glistened in sweat and his eyes followed a sweat drop trailing off from the scalp covered by his hair above the right side of his forehead, down his tanned cheek to his well-defined jawline.

His eyes trailed to the area connecting his neck to his right shoulder blade. A long scar marked the area. Trailing his fingers slightly over the scar, he closed his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh… '_It should've been me…_'

Shaking his thoughts away, his mind wandered off to his college days… He thought about those girls, who mostly speak to him and hang out with him due to his looks and for his money. And as soon as they catch sight of that scar, their face would cringe a little, in disgust. But they don't care to ask him about it, since they care for his money and looks only. He always wore his scarf to hide that scar…His treasured scarf presented to him by his father. And on days like these, when he doesn't use his scarf, he hides it under the collar of his shirt.

Sighing again, he discarded the rest of his clothes and wrapped a towel around the lower part of his body. Entering the bathroom, he studied his face one more time in the mirror above the washbasin. He splashed the cold water onto his face, trying to remove that tired look off. '_A shower might help…' _ Removing his towel, he stood under the shower after turning the knob on. As the rush of ice-cold water hit his well-defined back like needles, he flinched a little squeezing his eyes shut, resting his hand against the walls in front of him. He let the ice-cold water wash over his body. He stood there, eyes closed, feeling the ice-cold water working its magic in releasing the tension in his toned muscles and calming his nerves. He let out a contented sigh and let the cold droplets work its magic….

.

.

.

.

Walking out of the bathroom, with a towel wrapped around the lower part of his body, a hand raked through wet pink hair, as its owner rummaged through his drawers for something to wear for the night. Throwing on a pair of boxers, Natsu dragged himself to his bed and laid down on his side. He glanced to the bedside table and his eyes rested upon the scarf, folded neatly, resting on it. Extending his hand, he gently brushed his fingers over the white, scaled scarf…

"_...You know… that scar makes you unique…. You don't have to hide it. But wear this if it bothers you that much….. It was mine and I want you to have it….."_

_"…__Thanks, old man…."_

_"…__.Tch, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME OLD MAN, YOU BRAT…."_

_"…__..Yeah…Yeah.."_

_"…__.You know, boy…You don't have to change yourself, for others….When the time comes… you will cross paths with your "destined one"…."_

_"__Huh… What are you talking about, old man? And what is… dus…des…dest….Gah… that word you said…."_

_"__Hahaha…. In time, my son…. In time….."_

_"…__Tch…. I swear that man gives me the creeps sometimes…."_

Shaking his head slightly, he turned to lie on his back…Facing the ceiling, with hands behind his head, his mind wandered off, without his consent…..to a certain blonde…The corners of his lips curved into small smile, as a faint scent lingered in his nostrils. A word entered his mind, before he was consumed by sleep….a faint smile still lingering on his lips….

'_Sweet..._'

**Done for now…**

**I apologize if you felt that this chapter was boring. But I wanted to explain how Lucy's apartment will look like, so that you guys will feel how amazed she is and understand the feelings she experienced… BUT PLEASE…PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW THIS CHAPTER WENT. I MEAN... WHETHER IT WAS BORING OR CRAPPY OR TOO LONG AND DESCRIPTIVE.. CAUSE I AM REALLY SORRY…**

**I am sorry again, but I promise I will try to make the next or so interesting...or lively..**

**Did you guys realize who this ****_Kev _****is****_? _He is my OC in this story. I meant, did u realize how Kev is related to Lucy...?**

**I hope you understand what this chapter was specially about.. The chapter name "Remembering your words.." was chosen for a reason… **

**Lucy remembers the words (in italics at the last part..), told to her by a certain person in the past.. I hope you realized who that is.. And it replayed in her mind when she was feeling lonely…**

**Also Natsu remembers words of a certain person in the past too…And these words were replayed in their mind, when he thought about his scar…**

**I hope you understood the meaning in this chapter…If you guys didn't understand anything, ask me in your reviews or can PM me and I will explain it to you… I apologize if you didn't understand..**

**I had to rewrite the part where Lucy felt pride and loneliness, again and again and reread all over, so that I could get you guys to feel what she felt… I hope you guys understood Natsu's feelings too…**

**Both Lucy and Natsu has some secrets… which will be revealed slowly…**

**Also feel free to let me know of your suggestions, ideas or notify of me of errors. I have been so hung up with Lucy's feelings description. So there ****_may _****be errors…So feel free to let me know..**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR VIEWS ON THIS CHAPTER…**

**Bear with me….**

**Thank you for your time….**

**Arigatou Minna**


	4. Chapter 4:So close… Still not enough

**Hello reader… **

**Wow…. Firstly, I am so happy that I got this much reviews, favourites and follows... I didn't think I would get this much. Arigatou minna…**

**I would like to make this clear.. I made the description a bit long so that you all can have a picture in your mind about her apartment, so that in future chapters, when situations occur in future, you will understand them when have clear picture..**

**ALSO HAS ANYONE FIGURED OUT HOW KEV IS RELATED TO LUCY?**

**I have been working on this chapter, the moment after I posted chapter 3. I have been writing, correcting, rereading, rewriting again and again… I feel like my head is going to explode… and my back is killing me.. I wanted to make up for the lack of conversation and life in the previous chapters. I hope this chapter makes up for it..**

**But before I proceed..**

**AGAIN, ****I would like to thank those who reviewed and all those people for their follows and favorites. It really means a lot.**

**I would like to give a heart-warming thanks to the following reviewers:**

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**Last but not the least… I didn't forget about you..**

**Guest****: I am glad that you feel it like that… Thank you for your support.. I am so happy.. Here's the next chappy… **

**And all you reviewers.. Thank you for the wonderful support and encouragement.. Without your suggestions I wouldn't have made this story perfect.. I have replied to all your reviews there itself…**

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**I sincerely apologize if there are any mistakes in usernames.**

**DISCLAIMER: ****I do not own Fairy Tail. It Belongs to Hiro Mashima sensei.**

**But the OC is mine..**

**Just to be clear **

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

_'__Thoughts in dream'_

_Flashback_

_'__**Thoughts during flashback**__'_

**_IMPORTANT: ITALICS PASSAGE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE... IS FLASHBACK... I INSERTED A LINE BEFORE AN ITALICS PASSAGE... TO SEPARATE THE FLASHBACK FROM PRESENT_**

**Previously:**

'…._Ugh… Why should men be such jerks…_'

.

.

_"…__.. When the girls heard that they were going to have a new roommate, they were so happy and excited that they arranged and furnished this room…._'

.

''_No…Not yet…' _

_._

_._

_"__Welcome to New York…. Lucy.."_

_"__Arigatou, Hilda-obaachan…"_

_._

_._

_._

'_… __When you see a star shine at you… Always remember that… I am watching that star…..telling it to tell you that I am there with you and that I am remembering you with a smile on my face…._'

'_Mama….._

_…__..I am there with you too…..._'

.

.

'_It should've been me…_'

.

.

_"…__.You know, boy…You don't have to change yourself, for others….When the time comes… you will cross paths with your "destined one"…."_

'_Sweet…_'

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER IV<strong>

**So close…. Still not enough**

_…__She stood there, under the night sky… her hair illuminated by the dim moonlight, giving the appearance of a golden waterfall…_

_…__.W__earing a white collared top with black flower prints here and there with folded three-forth sleeves covering her arms. The top hugged her body perfectly, but not too tight, in a provocative way. But the top accentuated her curves at the right places.. She paired it with dirty blue jeans and flats….. __'__At least this one is wearing __**something**__, unlike the one I just dropped off... Good to see a change of attire in a woman… I hope this one isn't wasted.. given the time of the night...'_

_"__That won't be necessary… I can manage myself. Thank you for your offer. I am grateful enough that you had offered to pick me up at this hour from the airport…"_

_'__Wow, if that's what she sounds like….Then….__'_

_At that moment, the words got stuck somewhere in his mind as the blonde turned around, giving him a perfect view of her face, illuminated by the faint moonlight… Heaving her luggage towards the reception area of the complex, with the driver in tow with another set of her luggage.. As she passed by him, a breeze swept by, at that exact moment, through her hair. The scent from her hair, hitting his nostril… the sweetest and softest scent he ever encountered… He was frozen to his spot…eyes wide_…

….. _Her hair brushed his face…Closing his eyes, he tried to feel its softness.. The scent of her hair…. Captivating his senses… He never wanted the scent to fade away… He took another deep breath… Oh...it was suffocating him….like toxic...This scent…. It smells like...like salmon…_

_Hmmmm…salmon?_

"What the-"

Woken up from his dreams, the pink haired man tried to open his eyes, but in vain. He felt something hairy and fluffy pricking his nostrils and face. He lifted his hand and tried to squeeze the thing that was preventing his eyes from opening.

It jerked away and let out a high pitched meow… '_Meow…?'_

Opening his eyes, he saw a blue feline glaring at him, propped at the edge of his bed, hissing at him when he rose up from his soft pillow.. "Oh, Gomene Happy.."

He glanced at the clock perched on his bedside table…07.30 a.m. He was late, had it not been for his blue feline companion, he would have slept throughout the entire day. "Arigatou, Happy.."

Raking a hand through his spiky hair, eyes closed, he let out a tired breath. He felt tired due to lack of sleep. He didn't care if he was late for work or not. Not at this moment. His mind was focused on a certain blonde. '_I wonder if I will see her again…_'

Something grazed the side of his arms, interrupting his thoughts. Turning his head sideways, he saw his pet companion rubbing his tail against Natsu's arm. Lifting his hand, he petted the cat's head, smiling affectionately at the cat. "You must be hungry, neh Happy..?" The feline meowed in reply.

Natsu forced his body up from his comfy bed and dragged his feet towards the bathroom. He checked himself in the bathroom mirror. He had bed hair and his face look tired. Faint dark circles formed under his half-lidded eyes. '_Shouldn't have gone with that stripper yesterday… I look like crap cause of him…._' , he let out an irritated sigh.. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. A small smile formed on his lips…

'….._but if it hadn't been for him… I would have missed her…._'

.

.

.

.

.

'Beep..Beep'

A tick mark appeared on Natsu's forehead as the program code for the project he had been working on, backfired for the umpteenth time that day.

His teammates looked at him with a start, the moment they heard the sound of something breaking….the sound of him breaking a pencil, to be exact…

He took a deep breath to calm himself. Noticing the unusual silence in the room, he slowly lifted his head up, only to be met with stares from all his teammates…some having concern and worry for him, etched on their faces…while some looked in fear, and looked ready, to run out the door, the moment Natsu decides to start a rampage….

'_Ah…Just great…_' , the pink-haired man was already having a headache since morning, due to lack of sleep, thus ruining his mood and the 'beep, beep' response of the laptop isn't helping at all….He was ready to throw his laptop out the office window since the project has taken its toll on him…

Heaving out a huge sigh, "Sorry… It won't happen again.." Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his office chair. Swiveling it around to face his office window, he began to massage his temples. '_Stupid stripp-'_

"Natsu-san…"

Turning around, he found the director's secretary standing at the doorway. "Natsu-san. The director wishes to see you.." and with that she left.

'_What now…_'

Rising up from his chair, he made his way out the door, ignoring the curious stares and murmurs that erupted in the room. He made his way into the Director's cabin. On entering the room, he was faced with the back of a rather large chair in the far opposite of the office.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Close the door, will you?"

Shaking his head, he turned around to close the door to the office. '_And here we go again…._'

Turning around, he faced the occupant of the large chair. He was a rather bulky man, with strong build and broad shoulder. His red hair was well-kept and combed sideways. The man currently wore a stern expression on his face, as he sat in his office chair, fingers intertwined in front of his face, covering his mouth.

"You wished to see me, _sir?_"

"What's with you today?"

Natsu sighed, "I'm fine… You summoned me here to ask me _this_?"

Ignoring his question, the director continued, "I've been observing you since morning. You seem… out of place".

"I didn't know you were a _stalker_!"

"I tend to stalk only _you_ and I have every right to. Besides…You look like crap!"

A tick mark appeared on Natsu's forehead, "Let me rephrase my question… You summoned me to _insult me_?"

The said man rose from his chair and shuffled towards the pink-haired man. Natsu didn't move when the man stood in front of him… The red- haired man closed his eyes and let out a breath, composing himself. Natsu raised a brow at the man. Before Natsu could open his mouth to throw another comment, the red-haired man raised his hand and whacked the backside of Natsu's head.

That was the last string of Natsu's patience….

"WHAT THE HELL, YOU OLD GEEZER… MY BRAIN WAS ON THE _VERGE_ OF EXPLODING DUE TO THIS _FREAKING_ HEADACHE. AND YOU _HAD _TO GO AND DO _THAT.._!"

"HAHAHA….Now, that's the Natsu, I know…Come to think of it... I didn't know you had a brain to begin with…!"

"WHY YOU-"

"Now, now son… let's not be rash.. Especially, not in the office…. Now tell me. What's _up_ with you today?"

Rubbing the aching part of his head, he sighed, "I'm fine, dad… I didn't have much sleep last night. That's all…"

"Oooh, oooh… Who did you have fun with, last night? Huh? Come, sit down…. Tell me _everything… _Was she good? What's her name? Is she beautif-"

Natsu's jaw hit the floor, "WHAT THE HELL, OLD MAN…? I DON'T GO AROUND AND SLEEP WITH THE FIRST GIRL I SEE… I'M NOT YOU…"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU BRAT..? FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I ONLY HAD MY EYES ON ONLY ONE WOMAN AND THAT WAS YOUR _MOTHER_… AND LET ME TELL YOU ONE THING… SHE WAS _DAMN_ BEAUTIFUL… AND SHE WAS _GREAT_ IN BED…AND WE WOU-"

Natsu's face exploded into a flaming red, "GAAHH…. I DON'T WANT TO KNOW HOW MOM WAS IN BED…._AND I DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT ALL, YOU TWO DID… _GOSH, ARE YOU TRYING TO RUIN MY INNOCENCE..?!…. MY EAARRSSS…."

His dad looked sideways and muttered sarcastically, in a low voice, "Ha… says the one who didn't sleep last night.."

But that didn't pass Natsu's sensitive ears, unheard, "Gah… I _told _you, I _slept late _last night, Igneel.. SLEPT LATE.. Get that into that _thick skull _of yours…"

Igneel Dragneel snickered, "_Riiiighhttt….._"

Heaving out an irritated sigh, "Ugh, I am _not_ in a condition for your childish antics-"

"Natsu.."

The stern voice of his father, made the said man to look at his father.

"Go home…."

"Bu-"

"No buts, young man…That's an order"

Natsu couldn't deny this side of his father. When his father has this stern look, there is no turning him down. He wondered how the old man could change his attitude so easily…Shaking his head, he sighed, "Fine.." He checked his watch.. 02.30 p.m

"And on your way, get some food into your system.. I heard about a new cafe/restaurant 'Fiery Fantasy', that opened a few days back, from Makarov. It's at that Trinity Mall.. He says it's awesome…" Igneel had him at the word 'Fiery'.

"Okay… Bye"

And with that Natsu turned to walk out the door. His mind wandered off again…

'_I wonder if I will see her again…_'

* * *

><p>'<em>…<em>_.. Well, did you ask her?'_

_'__No.. I couldn't bring myself to ask her… You ask her, since you two practically hung out all the time…She will tell __**you**__…'_

_'__Huh?… But..bu-'_

_'__Please Lucy….'_

_'__Hmm…. O-okkaayyy…'_

_'__Go on then…'_

_' __Alright…alright…don't push me…_

_ …__Um…. Hey Azure… Umm… I..uh..was wonderi-'_

…. Gasping for air, the blonde woke up with a start,. ' _Why…Out of all the dreams, I just __**had**__ to dream __**that**__…. Why now….' _She was woken up from her reveries by a vibration under her pillow…. Shoving her hands under the pillow, she pulled out her cell…. _'Kevin…' _Accepting the call, she held the phone against her ears, croaking out a 'good morning'.

"Haha… Good morning?... It's _waaay_ past that time of the day sis… In fact, it's almost evening… So you _were _snoring away like the pig you are…"

Her eyes widened. Checking the time on her cell, she held it against her ear again.. "Says the pig himself…."

"Hey… I've lost six pounds now…So you have no right to call me a pig..!"

The blonde sighed, "_ Aandd _you have every right to call _me _pig…That's rich.."

She was too sleepy to argue with her childish cousin now…A weak smile appeared on her lips… , " You sure do know when to wake me up. Thanks Kev". The blonde let out a large yawn.

"Whoa there… Hmm.. Go and take a quick shower and get some food into your system. I'll talk to you later…"

A small smile appeared on her lips, as she closed her eyes. "Yeah..Okay..Bye"

'_Screw food…'_

Shoving her phone back under the pillow, the blonde dropped back down onto the bed. She closed her eyes for some time, in an attempt to go back to sleep. After minutes of no sleep, '_Stupid Kevin…' _ Stretching her legs and arms out, to ward off the sleepy feeling in them, the blonde let out a high pitched hum and then coiled into the sheets.

Opening her eyes, she glanced at the clock perched at the wall opposite to her bed. 02.30 p.m. Slowly she forced herself up from the bed, and dragged her body into the bathroom. Opening the door, she looked around the bathroom. She still couldn't get used to this room. She can't be blamed for that, since the bathroom was like a piece of heaven. It had a large bath tub in one corner, concealed by a glass wall. On the other side of the glass wall, was a shower area, which was also surrounded on three sides by glass walls. The blonde shook her head, and dragged herself to the washbasin and stared at her reflection in the mirror above it. Her hair was disheveled and tangled. Her eyes were half-closed. '_At least the tired look is gone…' _ But one thing caught her attention. She placed her hand on her cheek…wet and sticky…_'__Are these… tear stains?…Why would I cry in my sl-'_

Her eyes widened slightly, tears threatening to spill out...as she was suddenly reminded of her dream. '…._Azure'_

She splashed water onto her face, to shake off her thoughts. '_Where are you….'_

* * *

><p>'<em>Hmm… Let's see…<em>'

The pink-haired was currently at the mall, amidst the buzzing crowd. He was searching for the cafe and was dying for some awesome food. He was alone at the moment, but he didn't care since he has been used to it by now…

'_Ugh, where is that damned cafe… I'm dyi-… Ah.. there it is…!'_

He made his way, through the crowd, as soon as he caught a glimpse of the restaurant…He made it to front of the café at last…

'_Finally…..', _ He read the name of the cafe mentioned on the sign to make sure, it's the right café…

'_Fiery Fantasy…. Non-veg/Veg ….. What the-'_

His eyes widened….

'… _Cos-play café/restaurant..?_'

His forehead cringed, '_That old man… I swear he-'_

His stomach growled…. Shaking his head, Natsu sighed, '…._As long as I get something to eat…_'

With that he entered the café….

* * *

><p>A doorbell echoed throughout the empty apartment, disrupting the blonde from enjoying her peaceful silence. She was currently resting on one of the couches after having a heavy lunchsnack…

Opening the door, she was surprised when Hilda rushed past her, into the apartment, with a worried expression on her face. Closing the door behind her, the blonde regarded the woman with a concerned face..

"Good eve-"

"Lucy… I have a huge favor to ask of you", the woman looked at the blonde with a serious yet worried expression on her face. The blonde nodded for the woman to continue, as they both sat down on the couch.

"You see, my niece runs a kindergarten school... Kinda like a playschool, actually. And I had been there many times and played with the children there. My niece had promised the kids that they would get to meet and spend time with one of the 'superheroes'. She asked me if I knew someone who was up to the task. I asked the girls, here, if they could do it, and Erza, one of your roommates volunteered. But it seems that she had to leave a little early as I had mentioned yesterday, and we both forgot about the dress-up… I was wondering if you could do it. It's just that, the kids are _so_ looking forward to meeting a superhero and it just pains me to see there sad faces if that doesn't happen. Erza has even picked up the costume for it. She told me that if you were willing, you could wear and she sincerely apologizes for making you do this, on your first day here. Seeing you are about her size, I am sure it would fit you perfectly… So, will you do it…?"

Lucy was at loss for words… "I… uh…I-"

"You wouldn't let down an old lady's request, will you..?", Lucy's heart melted, seeing the old woman's teary eyes, that were on the verge of shedding tears…

She took a deep breath and with determined eyes, "Okay, I will do it.."

"Oh, thank you so much Lucy. It really means a lot to me. The children will be so happy…Let me go get the costume…", with that she scurried off.. Lucy watched the woman enter a room, '_That must be Erza's room…_'

"Here you go…"

Turning to look at Hilda, her eyes widened as she stared at the outfit propped onto a stand. The blonde felt heat starting to crawl upon her face, "You've got to be kidding me… Are you sure this is the one Erza was planning to wear. I mean, look at this…Its..its..-"

"I am positive, since Erza told me she would dress up as Cat woman"

Lucy's jaw dropped, as she shivered slightly… '_Who exactly __**is**__ Erza…._'

She was immediately broken out of her thoughts, "Come on now… Don't be shy…", Hilda checked the time. "Oh my, it's 02.50 p.m… You have to be there by 03.30 p.m. There is no time to change into the outfit at the school.. You must wear it here and go there… Come now.. We can't waste any more time….", the woman approached the blonde…

Lucy's eyes widened, "Wait… Let me…I wi… Kyaaaaa…."

Tank tops and pajama pants can be see flying off in random directions… Even the lingerie was not spared…

.

.

"There… all set….", Hilda wiped her forehead as she stared proudly at her work, after five minutes of struggling and pulling…

The blonde scurried off to her room, to stand in front of her long dressing mirror near the cupboard… Her face burst into flaming red, as soon as she set eyes on the figure staring right back at her…

There stood the blonde…in black.. The outfit hugged her figure perfectly, accentuating her curves at all the right places. She examined her reflection. The black outfit was zipped up till under chin. Her blonde hair was let down, which fell down to her shoulders. Her eyes trailed along the fabric which continued to her shoulders down her arms, where it disappeared behind long black shiny gloves, which covered her hand and extended up till her elbow. The gloves had criss-cross designs that ended at her elbow.

Her eyes trailed down, beneath her shoulders…the fabric hugging her assets so perfectly, that anyone could guess her cup-size accurately. Her eyes rested upon the utility belt resting round her hips…a round buckle in the middle, and a black gun rested at the right side of her belt while a whip was attached to the left side of her hip… '_Must be a toy gun…_' The fabric continued down below her utility belt, where it hugged her thighs, which would make a man drool… The fabric disappeared behind knee-high, heeled black combat boots.

Twirling around to get a view of her back, the blonde swallowed thickly, feeling the temperature of her face go a few degrees higher….a long black tail extended from below the back her hips… The fabric held her butt too tight, that anyone would want to spank her….

'_At least it covers my whole body…_'

"Oh, Lucy, you forgot this…Bend your head a little for me, will you?", Snapping out of her thoughts, the blonde bend her head to Hilda's level. She felt the woman slide something through her and adjust it onto her head. "Close your eyes, Lucy" . The blonde did as she was told. She felt the woman's skinny fingers slide under chin in order to tilt her head up to face her. She felt something soft, yet hard slide in front of her eyes and nose….she felt Hilda holding it in front of her eyes with one hand, while reaching her other hand over her head, pulling something elastic, adjusting it to the back of her head…

"You can open your eyes now…."

Slowly opening her eyes, the blonde twirled around to see what had changed... Her eyes widened… and she felt her face heating up even more. The first thing she caught sight of, was the small black pointed fabric on either side of her head…Cat ears to be exact. Her eyes trailed down to the black fabric that rested around her eyes, which highlighted her brown orbs, and joining at the bridge of her nose...She could only think of one word… '_Wow…._'

"Oh. I almost forgot…", snapping out of her trance, she turned around. A sudden flash blinded her eyes for a moment…

"Erza had _begged_ me to take a snapshot of you wearing this…. Wow, I must say… You look pretty….forgive me for saying this…._hot.._"

As soon as her vision returned normal, she saw Hilda holding a camera… '_Where the hell did she get that… I swear she didn't have it on her, when she came here…Ho-_'

"And don't forget to add a 'nyaa' at the end of your sentences…"

The blonde froze…,_'Is there a point to this…..Nyaaaa..._?-'

"Oh, my…you are late… Run off now. We don't want those toddlers to be disappointed now, do we?", Pushing the blonde out of the bedroom and towards the apartment door…, "But I don't know where to go.. I'm new here-"

The owner shoved something into her hand….and draped a coat over her body which covered her entire self… Looking down, she saw a small piece of paper, her apartment key and her cell…

"That's the address to the school and my niece's cell number in case you get lost. I believe you are capable enough to find your way through this place…Besides you can use your cell to find the school. They have that thing for maps and navigating or something like that.. I know cause , my niece always use to do that.. She's so advanced…Kids these days.. Oh my.. It's 03.05.. Don't worry I will lock your apartment.. Run along now… It should be 10 min distance from here to the school… I'm sure, you will make it in time...Hail a cab… Or best… Runnnnn….", with that she pushed the blonde out the door and slammed it shut…

The woman had spoken so fast that the blonde didn't get time process it in her mind… Closing her eyes, the blonde took in a deep breath to calm her raging heartbeat. She opened her eyes, with a determined look on her face; checking the piece of paper in her hand, she turned her cell and punched in the destination into her navigator and sprinted off down the stairs….

'_…__.. And there goes my first day….Nyaa__a__a__a__a__…_'

* * *

><p>'<em>Fiery Fantasy..? It should be more like Perverted Fantasy….Ugh…I swear Makarov must have found that place awesome because of <em>_**that**__…How did he become so perverted?._'

The pink-haired man was currently dragging his feet from out of the mall, to where he had parked his car. A tick mark was currently visible on his forehead, as he tried to distract himself from what happened a few moments ago….

.

.

.

* * *

><p><em>With his head drooped down, Natsu entered the café… "Welcome to Fiery Fantasy, master... How may I be of service..?"<em>

_'__**Master…?**__', lifting his head up slowly he saw a woman wearing a sexy batwoman's costume…_

_Taking a deep breath to keep himself from getting irritated more than he was, "Table for one, Please…"_

_"__Right this way…. __**Masterrrr...**__", the maid seductively replied_

_'__**Oh boy…. Why do women have to be like this at WORK too…**__', gritting his teeth, Natsu followed the maid…. _

_"__Please make yourself comfortable. One of our maids will arrive shortly to take your orders ….Arigatou..", having said that, the maid bowed, giving Natsu a view of her assets and left, not before brushing her fingers across his shoulders.. Natsu clenched his teeth and heaved a sigh, as he scanned the menu…_

**_'_****_Let's see-'_**

_"__Sorry for being late, Master…. Do you wish to punish me for that….?"_

_Flinching at the slurring voice, Natsu turned his head to look at the source….He felt his patience wearing thin, as he saw a woman wearing a very revealing Bunny Girl costume, with her back turned to him, bending to opposite side, with her butt extended towards his direction…_

_"__Perhaps, a spanking…?"_

_He lost his appetite…Gritting his teeth, he tried to maintain his composure, "__**No thank you**__…I would like a plate of American chopsuey and perhaps some __**glass of water, Please…"**_

_"__Your order will be ready in few minutes…Arigatou..", with that she left…._

_'__**Can't they take a break…?**__' _

_Raking his hand through his messy spikes, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths to calm his raging nerves… '__**Hope, I get to eat in peace…**__'_

_After waiting for a few minutes…._

_"__Here is your order, Master…". _

_'__**Finally….**__' , opening his eyes, he was met with a spoon filled with noodles and sauce, near his mouth…_

_"__Say, aaaahhh…", the waitress was too close to him, in front of him, revealing her assets, purring seductively in his ear…._

_'__**That's it….**__', the last ounce of his patience snapped.. He fished the required money out of his wallet and put it on the table. Gulping down the glass of water, he got up from his seat, trying to appear, as composed as possible, and turned to leave.._

_"__Master, are you not hu-"_

_"__**Keep **__the change…", with that he left…_

.

.

.

* * *

><p>Shaking his head to take his mind of the flashback, he stepped out of the mall, into the busy street and made way to his car…He raked a hand through his hair….<p>

'_That perverted old geezer…Gotta have one or two wo-'_

"Excuse me, sir"

"HEY!"

"Pardon me.."

"HEY, watch were you're going, kitty..!"

He was broken out of his thoughts by a commotion in the crowd of people in the street… He turned his head see people moving sideways, some glaring at what seemed to have two pointy projections weaving through the crowd… '_Cat ears?.. Who th-'_

"WATCH OU-"

"OOF!"

The pink haired didn't get to finish his thoughts, cause the next thing he knows, he landed on his butt with something on top of him… Opening his eyes, he found himself lost, staring into large chocolate brown orbs…. He was broken out of his trance, when the thing lifted itself off of him. A hand was extended towards him…a black gloved hand, to be exact…. Accepting the offer, he was heaved up…

Looking forward, his eyes widened slightly… The person was wearing a black mask over her eyes, which concealed half her face and was wearing a perfect fitting suit with knee high combat boots. Pointy cat ears stuck out on either side of the person's blonde hair, which cascaded down her shoulders… A dress-coat was draped over her body, but was out of place due to the fall…. And something protruded from behind her…

'_Is that… a tai-'_

"Oh, I am so sorry…Are you alright?"

Shaking his head trying to focus, he replied in a hazy manner… "Um...Yeah… I think so?"

Adjusting her coat to cover her body, "Oh, okay…", the person glanced at her cell, "Oh crap, I am late… Gotta go… Sorry again…" With that, the figure sped past him, into the crowded streets again….

A scent hit his nostrils… He couldn't help but close his eyes and take a whiff of that scent,. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he hummed lowly…

'_Sweet….'_

Suddenly his eyes widened in realization, as his mouth fell open slightly…. '_Crap…_'

Extending his right hand out… "Wait…", he swiftly turned around towards the direction, where the blonde had sped off to, only to find her nowhere in sight…

Heaving another sigh, he raked his hand through his messy hair. Head drooped down, eyes closed, he dragged himself towards his car….

'….._I just missed her…._'

**Phew…. Finished for now…**

**My back's killing me and my head will explode any minute now..I have been sitting in the same place, ****_without even moving, _****for a ****_whole day_****… **

**Wow.. I didn't think this chapter would be ****_this _****long.. Hope you guys didn't get bored… Gomene..**

**By the way… I just had to add those lines from Fairy Tail Ova- Fairy Hills.. I mean… Nyaaaa…..I don't own it..**

**I hope you liked my OC… **

**I hope this chapter made up for the crappiness of the previous chapter…. I hope you enjoyed this chapter….**

**Please…Please tell what you thought of this chapter.. Whether it was too long… Too boring… Too descriptive… Too Stupid… Please..please do tell..**

**How was the humor part, by the way… stupid?**

**AND COULD YOU TELL ME YOUR OPINION ON THE FLASHBACK.. THAT MAID CAFE.. WAS IT TOO...YOU KNOW.. OVER THE LINE? STUPID?PLEASE LET ME KNOW ABOUT THAT..PLEASE...PLEASE**

**I am nervous now… because this is the first time I have introduced this much humor and life…Please let me know…please…Let me know if there are any errors or mistakes in this chapter..**

**Also feel free to let me know of your suggestions and opinions..and ideas if any…**

**Oh, and one more thing.. i don't know if i will be able to update tomorrow or day after that.. Since i have to fix a few things related to my studies.. Not gonna bore you with my crap not... I will try.. but no guarantees.. Gomene..**

**Thank you for your time..**

**Arigatou….**


	5. Chapter 5: To make you smile in my pain…

**Hello…..**

**I've ****finally updated the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.**

**But before I move on, I am so happy that I received this much reviews favorites and follows. I am so… so…. Aahh, I can't find words. And I want to thank those who gave me their honest opinions and suggestions and also for their support and encouragement. I can't thank enough. It is what makes me go on. I will try to consider your suggestions and opinions.**

**I would like to thank all those who reviewed:**

**SkyFairies, bestangelbaby, noodleninjalover, KanaeHitomi, bored-outa-my-mind97, Kimsue22, handasica, Naeda Beasly, kotono3**

**I have replied to your reviews there itself. Thank you for the support and encouragement. Feel free to give me suggestions and your opinions as you feel.**

**I would like to thank the following people for their favorites:**

**Chiharu Himeji, Domi-Senpai, , DragonFairy93, DuhKpopFreak, , KyaaILoveIt, Waystar, bored-outa-my-mind97, dimaamanda, lalapie203,SkyFairies, NaluGrey, ime Traveler 2016, YessCristopher, handasica, kotono3, shadow6689, The Johno 23, U don't say333, fafaaf61, mari1999jimenez, PhantomInsanity, Kimsue22, Inferno621, BookieWorm123NaLu**

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**Thank you so much guys… I also apologize if I have made mistake in your names..**

**Without further ado, I present you all,, Chapter-V**

**DISCLAIMER:****I do not own Fairy Tail. It Belongs to Hiro Mashima sensei.**

**But the OCs are mine..**

**Just to be clear **

"Speech"

'_Thoughts' _

_Flashback_

_'__**Thoughts during flashback**__'_

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER-V<strong>

**To make you smile in my pain…**

* * *

><p>…'<em>I swear, I still <em>_**can NOT **__get used to the fact that, I have an __**AWESOME **__bathroom. That show-'_

"WHO LET THE DOGS OUT

(woof, woof, woof, woof)

(woof, woof, woof, woof)

(woof, woof, woof, woof)

(woof, woof, woof, woof)

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT (woof, woof, woo-"

She was frightened out of her thoughts by the loud ringtone.

"What the-"

She immediately jerked her head towards the source. Figuring out that it was from her cell, she scurried towards it and checked the caller ID to find the caller responsible for scaring her to death, in the dead silence…

'_Kevin…Ugh…_'

Accepting the call, "**Indeed, **Who **did** let you out…!", she snorted

"What are you tal-…", there was a pause. The blonde snickered

"OOOOOOOOOHH…. _THAT GIRL..._ WHEN_ I_ GET MY HANDS ON HER, I'LL-"

Mocking a gasping sound, "My, my _Kevin…_ I didn't know you were a _peeerrrvveerrrttt…._", the blonde snickered.

The blonde could hear her cousin scoffing on the other end.. "You let _her_ mess with your cell **_And _**_you didn't even bother to change the ringtone…? That girl.._ How can you consider her as your friend…!"

"One…. I didn't know she messed with my cell, _again. _So how am I supposed to know she set that ringtone for your call, _again? _ Two…", the blonde's voice started to get weak, " She was one of the _very _few girls who was a like a real _friend _to me ….And I am the one responsible for us, drifting apart…."

"Hey… Lucy, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay Kev… We still keep in touch…even though it's not very often…", the blonde heaved a weak sigh…

But the blonde didn't want to infect others with her depressed mood, and faked happiness in her voice, " Ah…. That day…. It's _still_ fresh in my mind…", a weak smile appeared on her lips as she reminisced.

"Ugh, _don't_ get me started on _that_"

The blonde could imagine a tick mark appearing on her cousin's forehead, with a slight blush on his face.

"I _still_ can't stop laughing, even though it's been a _long_ time…", the blonde chuckled.

"Ugh, _Please _stop…"

"_Scaredy cat…", _the blonde began to tease.

"_Shut up. _It could have happened to anyone!"

"_Riiiiiighhhttt", _the blonde couldn't hold it in anymore. She began to throw a fit of giggles, as the day replayed clearly in her head…..

.

.

.

_The teenage blonde was still living in her hometown. Her friend had planned to host a party as a treat for getting accepted at the top best university in the country. The blonde had offered to help her to set up the place, the day before the party. Kevin was visiting the blonde that time, and being the annoying cousin he is, he tagged along._

_"__Hey Jia, long time no see. Congrats again..!", the blonde hugged her friend._

_"__Thank you. Yeah it __**has **__been a long time since we've seen each other... God! I've missed you so much", the blonde was trapped in a bone-crushing hug of her friend who was on the verge of tears._

_"__J-Jia….. Can't-t…b-bre..athe.."_

_"__Oh my.. I'm so sorry. Hehe…Huh? Is it me, or have you gotten more thinner than the last time I saw you. You look pale too.. Have you not heard of the thing called, oh I don't know, what was it again... __**food? AND WHY HAVE-**__"_

_A snort was heard behind the blonde, stopping the girl in mid-sentence, "If 'thin' is the new 'fat' then I agree.." The blonde rolled her eyes._

_A tick mark appeared on Jia's forehead, since the boy had interrupted when the girl was about to ask something important. Craning her head to look behind the blonde, "And who might you be?", raising an irritated brow at the boy._

_"__Oh, I forgot. Jia, this is my cousin, Kevin. Kevin, meet my gal-pal Jia" _

_"__Oh, is this that __**annoying**__ cousin that follows you like a __**lost puppy**__?!"_

_Clenching his fists on either side of his body, "Hey, who you calling a puppy? Huh?", the boy jerked his head towards the blonde, with crocodile tears at the corner of his eyes, and whined, "Luuuuuuccccyyyyyy, how could youuuuu?"_

_'__**Oh, boy…**__', the blonde shook her head, heaving a sigh, "Please spare me…"_

_Jia smirked, "Oh, don't look at her. I figured it out myself. Since I always get to hear you __**pestering**__ her with your __**whining,**__ whenever I am on phone with her"_

_"__For your information, Lucy doesn't feel like that since I'm her __**favourite **__person in the __**whole wide world"**_

_Jia snorted, "Favorite, my __**ass**__!"_

_A tick mark appeared on Kevin's forehead, he tightened his fists and brought it in front of him, "__**You wanna piece of me…**__"_

_"__Hohoho… Bring it on, __**puppy!**__", preparing herself to attack._

_The blonde ran her hands across her face, '__**And to think these two are matured for their age…**__', "Stop it, you tw-"_

_"__Bonehead"_

_"__Jerk"_

_"__Wimp"_

_Unknown to the two bickering teens, a dark aura started to surround the blonde…._

_"__Trollfa-"_

_"__CUT IT OUT! BOTH OF YOU ARE ACTING LIKE SUCH SHITTY BRATS THAT IT'S DRIVING ME __**CRAZY**__!", by then, both the said teens had reduced to chibi size and were hugging each other for dear life, cowering in the corner, with tears in corner of their cute large eyes. By now, the blonde was red-faced. Turning to look at Jia, "Now, you", she pointed a threatening finger at her, "Unless you don't want me to trash your party like last time, you better start telling us what to do…"_

_"__Y-Yes Ma'am"_

_By then Kevin had started to sneak off, but the blonde wouldn't let him go that easily_

_"__Where do you think you're going, __**Mister**__", the blonde caught him by the collar of his shirt._

_"__Eeek!"_

_Bringing her trembling chibi cousin in front her demonic face, she hissed at him "__**If you don't behave yourself, Kevin Wilson, I will personally whoop your ass and kick you back straight to where you came from. Is that clear?**__"_

_Nodding his head vigorously, the blonde dropped the chibi Kevin to the ground with a thump and returned to her normal self. Turning to face Jia, she placed her hands on her hips, "So, where do we start?", with determination sparkling in her eyes, as if nothing had happened earlier._

_The other two teens looked wide-eyed at the blonde, '__**Creeeeeppppyyyy…**_'

_-THEN-_

_Enjoying the feel of the cold water that reached below his knees, Kevin sat there by the pool in the backyard, with headphones in his ears, enjoying his break off from all the work, bobbing his head along with the beat of the music while he hummed along. Jia had rented large loudspeakers in order to __**liven up the party**__. The men had arrived with the speakers, and she was currently telling them where to place the speakers. _

_She saw Kevin relaxing there by the pool, with headphones in his ears. A light bulb went off in her head, as a wicked smile crept its way to her lips while her eyes narrowed. _

_"__So, where exactly do you have them in your mind, Jia?", the blonde asked her friend. Seeing the wicked expression her friend was wearing while staring at something, the blonde's eyes trailed off to where her friend was currently looking at. _

_Realizing what her friend was thinking, '__**Not AGAIN…**__', the blonde sighed. "You do know that even a baby won't fall for __**that**__!"_

_"__Huh..? Who told you he was a baby. He's worse than that."_

_"__He won't fall for it."_

_"__I'll prove it you. You wait and see, Lucy Heartfilia. __**Wait and see**__"_

_The blonde shook her head, '__**Oh, boy…**__'_

_Jia directed the men to set the speaker by the pool, behind Kevin, who was oblivious to all the commotion that was happening behind him. She told the men to connect the speakers to the music system with the reason, "I want to see if I could see myself enjoying the party, with the speakers there.."_

_Her smile became more wicked, as soon as she saw Kevin stretch himself, looking ready to get up. _

_Kevin, who was oblivious to this all, scratched his head, '__**Ugh, Let's get this over with. Stupid troll face and her crappy party…**__' Sighing, he stretched his hands above his head and took his feet out of the pool to get up. Plucking his headphones out, he stood at the edge of the pool and made to scroll though his cell, to reply to his unchecked messages, before getting back to work._

_"__HIT IT!"_

_Eyes widening, "What the-", he made to turn back to find the source when-_

_"__WHO LET THE DOGS OUT_

_(woof, woof, woof, woof)_

_(woof, woof, woof, wo-_

_"__EEEEEKKK!"_

_He didn't hear the rest of it, cause the next thing he knew, he had fallen into the pool out of surprise…_

_A gasp escaped the blonde's lips, while covering her mouth, eyes widened as she watched her cousin let out a high-pitched shriek and fall into the pool, as soon as the music blasted at maximum volume, that even the pool water vibrated._

_"__Oh my…._ _I-I__ can't... believe h-he…", the blonde couldn't finish her sentence, as she felt her legs weaken, and fell to the ground. She couldn't contain herself as she laughed on the ground hard, as if there was no tomorrow. Jia was already on the ground, cackling like the devil she is, while holding her stomach out of pain…._

_A splash was heard amidst the music, as both the girls opened their eyes to look at a drenched head peeking out of the pool, scowling at them… steam was coming out of his ears as his face turned red. _

_He hissed, "__**That's so RICH, coming from the GREAT trollface…**__"_

_Jia tried to get up all the while trying to maintain her composure, but failed as she collapsed on the ground again, as she chortled along with Lucy who was still laughing with a now red-face._

_._

_._

_Finally after what seemed like hours, Jia finally managed to get up. Wiping a tear from her eye, she breathed out, "Oh God...this is the first time hearing a boy scream like a **girl** …", and started clearing her throat, "Hmm…. I don't think the speakers would look good near the pool.."_

_A tick mark appeared on his forehead as he gritted his teeth, "__**You think…?!**__"_

_._

_._

_._

_._

"Stop laughing…It's not _funny_!"

"Okay, Okay, don't get your panties in a twist", the blonde let out a sigh, glad that she was able to change the topic…..

* * *

><p>No sooner had the red-haired man stepped out of his car, than he was greeted by the loud ringtone of his phone. Heaving out an irritated sigh while fishing it out of his pocket, he checked the caller to find out the culprit who dared to call him after work-hours. <em>Patricia.<em>

Accepting the call, he placed the device to his ear.

"Good evening, sir"

The said man stretched his body, as he entered his large mansion, "Good evening Patty. This better be something important… And please, I told you to call me Igneel while we are outside of work, considering that we're almost the same age..!"

"Well sorry Igneel. But this _is_ something important. You told me to let you know whenever the _candidate _responds, whether positive or negative. Remember?"

"Well, what about it? Any change this time?", as he took a can of drink out of the refrigerator in his kitchen and opened it.

"The response this time is positive"

He felt let down, "Oh, I should've guessed. Well, call the _candidate _up again and….", Igneel paused, as realization dawned on him, "Wait, what? It's… positive?"

"Yes, the response is positive"

"Are you sure?", the said man, made to take a large gulp from his drink to calm down his excitement.

"Affirmative. And I have received word that the _candidate _is already here, in New York"

The sound of something spurt, was heard, "WHAT?! AND YOU'RE TELLING THIS TO ME NOW?!"

He could hear the woman sigh on the other end, "Well, apparently the _candidate _had responded to the offer three days back, and I am looking at it right now as we speak. But since the web server in our office was down due to some unknown reason, for the time, we were not able to access our emails there. The _candidate_ contacted me earlier via phone, to let me know of the arrival, that's when I checked the mail"

Igneel rubbed the bridge of his nose, _'That brat has messed up with the server AGAIN'. _Taking a cloth from the kitchen counter, he tried to wipe the drink off his shirt, that he spat out,_ "_When did the _candidate _arrive?"

"This morning at o' 100 hours"

"Hmm, what about the accommodation", his expression became grim.

"That has been taken care of, by the _candidate_"

Igneel's eyes widened, "Been here barely a day and already managed to find a way to fit in! I'm already impressed. Did you schedule a meeting with the _candidate_?"

"That has been already arranged"

"I knew I could rely on you, Patty", Igneel grinned, "The _candidate _will be a wonderful asset to the company, don't you think?"

"I think so too"

Closing his eyes, a small smile crept on his lips, '_Can't wait to meet you in person…_'

* * *

><p>"Leaving that aside, I've been meaning to ask you this thing for the past few hours now….", there was a long pause. The blonde wondered what was happening on the other end, "Um..Kevin, you th-"<p>

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU FOR THE PAST FEW HOURS. I'VE BEEN TRYING TO CALL YOUR DAMN CELL, BUT I GET SENT STRAIGHT TO YOUR _FREAKING VOICE MAIL, __**EVERY. SINGLE. TIME**_**!"**

The blonde gave a nervous laugh while scratching the back of her head, "Well, Um… You see I kinda… was in the middle of something-"

"WHAT WAS _SO _DAMN IMPORTANT THAT YOU COULDN'T ANSWER YOUR CELL? HUH? I WAS SCARED TO SHIT, WHEN YOU DIDN'T PICK UP. YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS? WHERE THE HELL _WERE_ YOU?"

. She mumbled something under her breath.

"I CANT HEAR YOU. _SPEAK UP_!"

"I had to….", her voice again faded into a low mumble.

"I'M IN NO MOOD TO PLAY YOUR CHILDISH GAMES , LUCY HEARTFILIA, SO YOU BETTER SPEAK UP"

The blonde felt like a kid sister being scolded by her big brother, when caught doing something bad.

"I had to dress up as Cat Woman-"

"W-What?!"

"I _said _I had to dress up as _Cat Woman", _blonde ran her hands over her face. She knew what was going to happen next.

"C-Cat W-Woman?!", Kevin was trying hard to control himself.

The blonde knew it was lost cause, trying to say otherwise.

"_Nyaa…_"

That was the last straw. The blonde shook her head as she heard the sound of something crashing on the end….to be more specific…the cell being dropped on the ground, as Kevin's laughter rang in the background. A huge groan escaped the blonde's lips. She's never going to hear the end of this…..

.

.

.

.

.

'_Finally. That boy was starting to give me a __**headache**__!'_

The blonde sighed in happiness as her back hit the softness of her comfortable bed._ 'Ah…Can this get any better? Mmmm… So soft…_'

The blonde lifted her feet and tried massaging her sore toes and heels, '_Ugh, my feet hurts after all that running in that freakishly high heels_'

'_Note to self: Never go running in __**high heels**__. What was Hilda-obaachan thinking? I swear that woman is creepy. Who would've thought such a gentle old lady, on the outside, has a sadistic personality hidden inside_!', the blonde sighed in relief, as she felt the soreness starting to ebb away. She still couldn't get the image of her wearing the costume, which made her shudder slightly. She was proud of herself for finding her way through the busy streets of New York, to the playschool, '_All by myself…_'

She found herself lost in thoughts as she remembered her encounter with the man earlier, whom she knocked over, as a faint blush coated her cheeks. One word entered her mind…. _Pink…_ She found herself slowly falling into a trance, when she remembered herself staring deeply into his captivating onyx eyes.

Shaking herself out of the trance, '_No, not again…_'

Memories of her past began to flood her mind as she felt a pain in her heart and she felt her body tremble a little. She turned her head sideways, resting on the pillow, to look out of the window, at the moon. She took a deep breath to calm herself, as she closed her eyes. A lone tear slid from the corner of her eyes which glistened in the dim moonlight….

_"When you try to hold the moon in your hands…._

_Always remember that I will be racing with you…_

_to get the same moon, before you…._

_Like your cunning friends…"_

'_I'm sorry…._

_…__..…Kyle_'

**I do not own the song mentioned in this chappy. The credits goes to Baha Men.**

**I hope your familiar with the song...I just had to add that here...**

**Hmm…. I am not proud of this chapter. I know it's boring and stupid. Now that I reread this, it's kinda like a filler chapter. I apologize if u were looking for Nalu moments.. But I wanted to add suspense in between. I hope you found where I added it.. Hehe..**

**I promise you the next chappy will be a bit more…. Interesting.**

**Let me know if you found any errors here.**

**Please let me know what you think of my chapter. I'm sorry if my OCs bored you.**

**Tell me what you think of my OCs. I added them to let you know how they have affected her. They're important in the future. So I wanted to give a head start.**

**One more thing. Did anyone guess or realise who said those words in the beginning of chapter1.**

**Please review and let me know of opinions. Feel free to give me your suggestions. And what did you think of the humour here? Too stupid?**

**Thank you for your time.**

**Arigatou**


	6. Chapter 6: Angel of Hope

**Hello readers.**

**I took time to update a ****_little_**** late. You'll see the reason why in this chapter.**

**IMPORTANT****: I've added (…) at the end of each speech/thoughts in italicized paragraph to give the effect of the speech or thoughts fading away, or breaking off. I mean, they don't get completed. And the italicized paragraph somewhere in the end is a flashback.**

**I have nothing to say about this chapter. Since I am ****_that_**** much nervous compared to how I was for earlier chapters. You'll see why again…**

**Anyways, I would like to thank all those readers for their lovely reviews, favorites and follows. And not to mention, your suggestions helped my story get better.**

**I would like to thank all those who reviewed:**

**xRedHoodieX, Naeda Beasly,Kimsue22, kotono3, SparkleSavvy, SnowFairyPrincess, SkyFairies, KanaeHitomi**

**Sunshine****: Thank you, thank you so much.. **

**It means so much to me.. =) **

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**Chiharu Himeji, Domi-Senpai, DragonFairy93, DuhKpopFreak, , KyaaILoveIt, Waystar, bored-outa-my-mind97, dimaamanda, lalapie203, SkyFairies, NaluGrey, Time Traveler 2016, YessCristopher, handasica, kotono3, shadow6689, The Johno 23, U don't say333, fafaaf61, mari1999jimenez, PhantomInsanity, Kimsue22, Inferno621, BookieWorm123NaLu, SkylarDragneel, SnowFairyPrincess, **

**I would like to thank the following people for their follows:**

**Abbyren1516, AnimeNerd2, Chiharu Himeji, Cubbyhamster, Domi-Senpai, DragonFairy93, DuhKpopFreak, KyaaIloveIt, MarleneTheWolfDeity, Naeda Beasly, bored-outa-my-mind97, dimaamanda, lalapie203, waterwielder25, NaluGrey, BookieWorm123NaLu, Hatsune Cherry, Inferno621, KanaeHitomi, PhantomInsanity, Smile1470, U don't say333, bestangelbaby, handasica, beyblade-lover, mari1999jimenez, , noodleninjalover, xRedHoodieX, xReiMei, SkylarDragneel, SparkleSavvy, SnowFairyPrincess**

**Thank you so much guys… I also apologize if I have made mistake in your names..**

**Before I start….**

**I would like to give a very special thanks to bestangelbaby. I don't how to thank her actually. Without her this chapter would have been a total disaster. Really…. When I finished this chapter, it was a mess. I wouldn't have updated this now. If she hadn't helped me in the corrections and in giving ideas and suggestions, this chapter wouldn't be as it is now…To tell you guys the truth, I didn't have the courage to ****_publish_**** this chapter. But with her encouragement, I have finally published this chapter.. Thanks to her, this chapter finally has a meaning….**

**bestangelbaby …If you're reading this, I have no words to express how grateful I am.. Thank you for being there with me throughout…**

**You really are the best angel I've ever befriended…**

**I dedicate this chapter to you…**

**DISCLAIMER:****I do not own Fairy Tail. It Belongs to Hiro Mashima sensei.**

**But the OCs are mine..**

**Just to be clear **

"Speech"

'_Thoughts' _

_'__Thoughts in dream'_

_Flashback_

_'__**Thoughts during flashback**__'_

* * *

><p><strong><span>Previously:<span>**

'….._but if it hadn't been for him… I would have missed her…._'

.

'_I wonder if I will see her again…_'

.

'…._Azure_

_Where are you….'_

_._

'_…__.. And there goes my first day….Nyaa__a__a__a__a__…_'

_._

'_Cat ears?.._

_._

'_Sweet….'_

'_Crap…_

….._I just missed her…._'

.

.

.

_"__She was one of the very few girls who was a like a real friend to me ….And I am the one responsible for us, drifting apart…."_

_" __I have received word that the candidate is already here, in New York"_

'_Can't wait to meet you in person…_'

_._

_._

_…__.Pink…._

'_No, not again…_'

_"__When you try to hold the moon in your hands…. _

_Always remember that I will be racing with you…_

_to get the same moon, before you…. _

_Like your cunning friends…"_

_'__I'm sorry…._

_…__..…Kyle'_

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER VI<strong>

**Angel of Hope….**

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Are you done…."_

_"…__Please don't say no…."_

_._

_._

_._

_The blonde felt light-headed after all that's been going on…_

_She was surrounded by a group of boys, on entering the bus._

_"__How many men has your mother slept with?"_

_She wasn't in the condition to be able to process the question, "Only one….", she replied in a low, but confident voice….._

_._

_._

_._

_"…__. I don't wanna be friends with you anymore…"_

_._

_._

_._

_"__I'm sorry. I didn't mean to….."_

_._

_._

_._

_"__...There was no one with me at that time that I didn't know what to do. This is the first time I've faced a situation like this…"._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_"…__.. Will you be my Valentine? For now….and forever?"_

_._

_._

_._

_"…__.The boys have made a wager that this relationship wouldn't last for more than six months…"_

_._

_._

_._

_"…__He told me…. not only me… actually __**everyone**__….that you have been involved in a lot of affairs , when you used to be in high school….."_

_._

_._

_._

_"…__..She told me everything….She has suffered much because of you… You have been so engrossed in your relationship to care about her feelings….You are the one who caused problems for her and others…..I've never seen a girl who can be this much of a flirt…you start flirting with the __**first**__ boy you see….. I don't know why she or even myself ever befriended you…. You are far worse than a whore… You are the reason, she is like this….That she won't even talk to you anymore….You destroyed her…I don't know who you __**are**__ actually…..You don't deserve her friendship…you don't even deserve to talk to her…..Now you are revealing your true colours…The girl we knew was a __**fake**__ all the time…You're __**dangerous**__…..This will be my __**last**__ conversation with you….I don't wanna be friends with you __**anymore**__…Hell, I don't wanna be even __**involved**__ with you anymore…..Goodbye"_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_"…__..I want to show my dad that I can also succeed in life…. That I can also work hard…that I can be better…That my mom has taught me well… taught me to live according to the principles of Life…According to God's Will….To be a better person… _

_I want to prove to my dad that my mom did a good job in bringing me up… I want him to regret not helping my mom in teaching me and bringing me up…to regret blaming my mom in everything he has said about me…"_

_._

_._

_._

_"…__I know… what I said are all… __**impossible**__ and weird and crazy… But it doesn't hurt to dream…. Does it?"_

_._

_._

_"__..Most of all… I have to find the real me…."_

_._

_._

_"__Yet…. I know that… these will not come true…"_

_"__When you try to hold the moon in your hands…. _

_Always remember that I will be racing with you…_

_to get the same moon, before you…. _

_Like your cunning friends…"_

_"__I'm sorry…._

_…__..…Kyle"_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_"…__.but what about your dream college. No one has had that score in years…You promised Jia…"_

_"…__. Jia doesn't __**have**__ to know….Its just that...I have my reasons Kevin…You won't understand….", __'No one will ever understand… I've lost the will to dream… to live for myself…Besides…I can't leave HER alone'_

_"…__..But Lucy, you can tell me… I will try to understand…We are like siblings….."_

_"…__..Besides, keeping these secrets and my problems to myself, will give a spark for me to move on…"_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_"…__.MARK MY WORDS LAYLA…__**YOUR**__ DAUGHTER WILL SLOWLY BECOME LIKE THAT RETARDED BOY AND ROT SLOWLY IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES…."_

_"…__**NO! SHUT UP-**__"_

_._

_._

_"__**SHUT UP... SHUT. UP.."**_

_._

_._

_._

_._

**_"_****_MAMAAAAA….."_**

.

.

"MAMAAA….."

The blonde woke up with a jolt. Her face was covered in a layer of sweat. She was breathing heavily as her eyes were wide, while the images of her nightmare still replayed in her mind. Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths to calm her raging heartbeat. She clenched both of her fists that are resting on her lap, to try to calm her trembling body. She felt something wet and warm on back of her hands. Opening her eyes, she saw the back of her fists, wet…Then she saw a drop of water fall on them. _'Where is this wat-', _she paused her thoughts. Slowly raising her hands onto her face, near the corner of her eyes, she winced a little when she felt soreness in them… She's been crying in her sleep…

A vibration under her pillow startled her from her trance. Reaching under pillow, she pulled out her cell.

_'__Private Number'_

Accepting the call, she placed the cell against her ears, "H-Hello…?", she cursed herself for stuttering.

"Ms. Lucy Heartfilia?"

"Yes, may I know who is speaking?", the blonde's voice was weak and dry.

"This is Ms. Cromwell. We spoke last night?"

"Ah, yes ma'am. How may I help you?"

"I was calling to confirm your meeting with our Director."

"I will be there, Ma'am."

"Your appointment will be at 11:00 a.m."

"Okay, I'll be there on time."

"Provide your name at the reception desk and our personnel will escort you to our Director."

"Yes Ma'am."

"And one more thing, Ms. Heartfilia."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Don't be nervous regarding the attire. Just be yourself. The Director is looking forward to meeting you."

"Oh, okay. Thank you very much. I too am looking forward to meeting him."

"Good day, ."

"Good day to you too", with that the line went dead.

She checked the time on her cell. '_08.45a.m_. _Crap. I woke up late. That damn boy kept me up __**so late**__, last night. Stupid insomniac…! Just because he doesn't sleep at all, doesn't mean he has to keep __**me **__awake_! _Why is it always __**me, **__of all people_?'

Her head felt heavy, '_Maybe a shower will help_'. She went to get her attire, to wear for the meeting, ready. '_Have to look presentable..._', she paused her thoughts, '_Great, I forgot to unpack. Thanks a lot, Hilda-obaachan_!' She scavenged her suitcase for her attire and made a mental note to remember to unpack as soon as she got back, '_I wonder where I will keep my clothes. That cupboard is too small to fit in all of my clothes and its design doesn't look like it is meant for clothes at all. Have to ask Hilda-obaachan when I get back'_

After she decided her attire, she made way to her bathroom along with a fluffy white towel. Entering the bathroom, she walked to the sink to check her appearance. She had bed hair…But the thing that caught her attention was that her eyes were swollen, and blood-red. Dark circles were visible under her eyes and there were tear stains on her face…. a layer of sweat covering her forehead. She flinched when her fingers made contact with her cheek. It was still wet and sticky from her recent tears. Her eyes widened slightly, as she realized she had momentarily forgotten the nightmare.

Images of her recent nightmare began to flood her mind. She felt her body starting to tremble and couldn't control the tears that fell down her cheeks. She gripped the edge of the sink with both hands, feeling that her legs would give in any second. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to prevent the tears from falling anymore, but in vain. She was now breathing heavily, as if someone was suffocating her. Sobs threatened to escape her lips. Squeezing her lips into a thin line, she tried to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat.

The blonde tried to take deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, but only managed to reduce the trembling in her body, just slightly. She willed herself to drag her feet across the bathroom floor, her hand gripping onto the walls or any other hangings on the wall that would aid her from falling down, while slowly making her way towards the bathtub. The tears continued to flow down her now pale cheeks, against her will. With the last ounce of strength left in her body, she weakly climbed into the tub and sat down. Slowly stripping herself off her clothes, she slowly extended her shaking hands towards the knob in order to turn on the shower that was above the tub.

The ice-cold water hit her back like icicles, while the blonde hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head on her knee-caps… The blonde felt a sharp pang in her heart and she felt so weak and fragile that she cursed herself for letting the nightmare affect her so badly.

Her trembling hands found their way to a small golden cross dangling from her neck by a thin three-toned chain of gold, white-gold and copper…her most treasured gift from her mother.

An image of her mother, smiling gently at her, appeared in her mind….

_When you feel all alone_

_Close your eyes and hold this cross _

_Take deep breaths, squeeze it tightly _

_Let it go and don't hold back…_

_You will slowly feel a strong comforting presence with you…_

_And baby girl, know that you're always on my mind, praying for you_

_With every breath of my life…._

The blonde couldn't hold it in anymore… Sobs raked her body, as she wailed loudly…. the ice-cold water falling down her pale warm cheeks…washing away her tears…..

'_Mama…. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…._'.

.

.

.

.

.

The blonde had felt rejuvenated thanks to the cold shower and she had cleared her thoughts of her nightmare over a cold glass of pulpy mango juice, _'as Mama always say, "Something sweet to start your day.."_' and some light breakfast which consisted of cereal in milk.

A beeping tone interrupted her thoughts. Checking her cell, 'One message received'. Unlocking her cell, she opened the message.

**_To: Lucy_**

**_From: Kev_**

**_Received at 09:55a.m._**

_Hope you are up already. All the best for the interview. You'll need it. Oh, before I forget: You are supposed to wear __**formal**__ attire. __**NOT**__ the Cat Woman outfit. Thought to advice you on that. _

_Anyways, best of luck, again. Don't get too worked up, like last time, for your college interview. It's just a meeting. You are already appointed. So no worries. They might just want to know you better in person. That's all. So, don't just stand there playing with your cell. GO! GO! GO!_

_Your favourite person in the whole world…._

_Kevin_

_O:)_

_PS: Nyaaaaa_

A tick mark appeared on her forehead. Furiously typing in a reply, she hit sent and scurried off to her room to get ready. '_Now, that idiot won't dare to tease me…Not at least for the time being…'_

**_To:Kev_**

**_From:Lucy_**

**_Sent at 10:01a.m._**

_Why, thank you for your lovely advice, __**brother**__. And I want to pay you back for that lovely advice by… I don't know.. maybe post that video of you falling into the pool in… maybe...__**YouTube**__?_

_Wish me luck…_

_Fingers crossed…_

_From your __**sweet sis**__,_

_Lucy _

_3:)_

_P.S: Go chew on a bone…. Woof!_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

Slipping into her attire, she packed the necessary certificates and papers into her black tote bag.

Feeling that everything is set, she checked her watch for the time. '_10:25_'. She moved towards her dressing mirror to examine her appearance.

She wore a plain white, half-sleeved button-up shirt. The top button was left open with her cleavage well-hidden, while the collar of her shirt framed her neck perfectly. It helped showcase her well-defined collarbones. Her chain was hidden beneath the collar, while the golden cross was in perfect view laying in between the opened top button of her shirt, perfectly in the middle, above her well-hidden cleavage but below the middle of her collar bones; highlighting her skin complexion.

She wore a sandalwood-coloured blazer over her shirt, and left it open. Her shirt was neatly tucked into form-fitting pair of black slacks, which defined her slim legs perfectly, but did not hug her frame tightly, and a thin brown belt held up the slacks to her hips. She paired them up with a pair of black ankle boots, the top of which was hidden under her slacks perfectly.

She had pulled her blonde hair up into a high ponytail, with bangs framing her face perfectly. She wore foundation to cover up her dark circles and any paleness in her skin due to lack of sleep. She had used cream colour eyeshadow over her eyelids. Mascara and smudged pencil eyeliner were applied to make her eyes look sharp.

To finish up her look, she used a light blush, in order to cover up any tiredness on her face. Her eyes trailed down to her wrist where a Calvin Klein watch adorned her wrist perfectly; hidden under the sleeves of her blazer, with round dial; upper half white and lower half black, held in place by a delicate thin leather strap…a gift from Kevin. '_That boy doesn't know his limits. Wasting his money…._'

She was surprised at the way she looked and was very proud of her attire…especially considering that it's her first time attending an interview/meeting, and at the world's famous multinational company to boot. She was only a tad nervous now. But she knew herself too well, that the moment she sets foot into the office building, all hell will break loose. But for now she was fine.

She closed her eyes and silently prayed to God, to help her get through the meeting. Opening her eyes, she slung her tote bag over her shoulders while wearing a determined look on her face, as she stared at herself in the mirror one last time.

'_Let's get this over with_!'

* * *

><p>A groan escaped the sleepy pink-haired man's lips, as he was woken up by something shifting on his belly. He slowly opened his eyes a little, to see two pointy ears twitching….cat ears to be exact.<p>

"So now you can _twitch_ your ears?! You're weird, you know that?", the pink haired man said in a low groggy voice before chuckling lowly. He extended his hand slowly towards the ears and began to massage them between his fingers, with a smirk appearing on his lips. The thing purred and he let out another low husky chuckle, "Oh, getting horny are we? I can fix that….", he trailed his fingers down the backside of the ears and moved it alongside the back of the body, "You're so soft and furry. But I can live with that…", he moved his fingers to the middle of the back and trailed to the side of the body. He made to pull the thing towards his face when a high-pitched meow pierced his sensitive ears. Startled, he jumped up in his bed, letting go of the thing. Opening his eyes, he was met with a glaring Happy at the edge of his bed, hissing at him.

He felt embarrassed at himself and scratched the back of his head while laughing sheepishly, "Oops, sorry Happy. I thought you were…..", '_Her…._? _Ugh, not again_!', he groaned.

A meow sounded to his side. Turning his head, he saw Happy looking at him with one ear flat-out sideways, with head tilted a little to the side and tail swishing from side-to-side as if asking what was bothering the pink-haired man. The tail and ears caught the pink-haired man's attention. His eyes widened as memories from last evening flooded his mind…..memories of a certain blonde to be exact….cat ears protruding from either side of her blonde hair….tail peeking out from underneath her dress coat…a black suit hugging her body perfectly showing her curves at all the right places….with knee-high combat boots…gloved covered hands which extended up to her elbow….A belt, sort of like a utility belt, resting at her hips perfectly with a pouch holding a gun on the right and a _whip_ hanging to the left side of her hips….Overall, she looked, '_Naughty_'

He was broken out of his trance when he heard another meow. Looking down, he saw Happy looking up at him with what seemed to be teary eyes, "Oh sorry Happy, you must be hungry. Be out in just a sec", he smiled lovingly at the blue-haired feline while patting the cat's head. That's when he noticed, '_Huh, Why does my face feel so warm_'. Getting up from bed, he strode to his bathroom and checked his face in the mirror.

He was surprised by what he saw. A lighter shade of his hair color coated his cheeks. He could feel his heart beating a little faster than normal, but not to the extent of jumping out of his rib-cage. His face went a shade darker, when he remembered what he had thought of earlier, '_Naughty…._'. A groan escaped his lips as he swept a hand over his face. '_Oh crap. Am I going crazy or is Gramps perviness rubbing off on me…_?' It was the first time that thinking of a girl has made him blush….not just any girl… a blonde dressed as Cat Woman!

Turning on the tap of his washbasin, he splashed water onto his face in an attempt to get rid of his blush. He checked his face again only to find his face still the same. Heaving out a heavy sigh, '_Maybe a shower will help…_'

* * *

><p>As soon as the blonde stepped out of the cab, a sudden wave of nervousness hit her. She froze in her steps. She suddenly wanted to turn back and run away. But she couldn't. '<em>You've traveled over a thousand miles, to just <em>_**turn back**__?! You freaking __**coward**__! All that hard work, all of that __**pain**__ you endured.. Was it just to be washed away in a drain?! Most of all.. Think about your mother. Did she just go through all __**that **__just to see you cower in a corner like a __**weakling**__?!_'. A strong sense of determination appeared across her face, as she took a deep, calming breath and stepped inside the building to make her way towards the reception desk…..

.

.

.

"Good morning. How may I be of service?", a female receptionist greeted her.

"I have an appointment with the Director at 11:00a.m?"

"Your name?"

"Lucy Heartfilia."

"One moment please", with that the lady wandered off to a room.

The blonde closed her eyes for a moment, taking deep breaths. She could feel her raging heartbeat against her chest. '_You can do this, Lu-_'

" ?"

Turning around she found a man in suit, with sunglasses concealing his eyes.

"Yes?"

"Please follow me." The blonde turned back to look at the lady to see her giving her a reassuring smile while nodding.

Nodding back in reply, the blonde took a deep breath and put on determined face and followed the man…..

.

.

.

.

"Ms. Heartfilia?"

Broken out of her 'you can do this' self-encouraging thoughts and breathing exercises, the blonde looked up.

"We've arrived. If you would follow me", with that the man stepped out of the elevator.

The blonde followed suit. They were now walking down a seemingly endless, vast hallway. The blonde could hear her raging heartbeat and her hands were as cold as ice. Her throat felt dry and her breathing quickened with every step. She folded her hands into fists to prevent them getting even more cold, if possible. The blonde was too engrossed in her nervous thoughts to realize that they had entered a room and didn't hear the man-in-suit and the woman addressing each other.

"Ms. Heartfilia…"

Broken out of her trance, the blonde looked up to face a lady standing in front of her, who looked to be in her forties. She was dressed in a white blouse, which had ruffles at her chest, that was tucked into a black pencil skirt, neatly paired with black pumps. Her brunette hair was neatly tied into a bun. The woman wore a gentle smile on her face while she looked toward the blonde who was turning pale with each second.

The blonde's throat had run completely dry and she was so frozen by the sudden nervousness on realizing the fact she had reached the Director's room, that she couldn't utter a single word.

"Are you alright dear? You look pale. Perhaps, some water?", the woman poured a glass of water and extended towards the blonde. The blonde took the glass with both hands, which were trembling at the moment, and then gulped it down.

Facing the woman again, "Thank you very much, Ms…."

"Patricia Cromwell, the Director's secretary. It's a pleasure to meet you at last, . My, my, you are _way _more beautiful than I imagined you to be!.", the woman extended her arm towards the blonde to shake her hand.

The blonde blushed lightly, while she accepted her hand and shook it, "T-The pleasure is all mine. You're beautiful yourself, Ms. Cromwell. I sincerely apologize for the rude behavior earlier. I wa-"

"No need to apologize dear. It's alright to be nervous considering it's your first time. But dear, there's no need to be nervous at all. It's just a meeting, not an interview. Especially considering the fact that you are already recruited to the company. And also, there was no need for you to dress up _so _formal also. I _had_ told you to be yourself, and that doesn't mean that you have to _suit_ yourself up!", the lady wagged a finger at the blonde in a scolding manner.

"Oh, I didn't… I was.. I'm..", the blonde was too nervous to think about what she wanted to reply.

"Oh my… I didn't mean to scare you", the lady chuckled. She gently placed her hands on the blonde's shoulder and offered a motherly smile. "Don't be scared. Just be yourself. The Director is not as strict as you think he is. Besides, why should you be scared when you're already been accepted as one of us? This meeting is just a form of greeting to get to know you more, in person and to seal the deal. That's all."

The blonde felt relieved, and gave a small nod and a weak smile in return.

The lady strode over to her desk. Picking up the receiver, she placed it against her chest to cover the mouth piece and looked back at the blonde, with a concerned look. "You ready?"

The blonde closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A determined look crossed her facial features as she opened them.

"Yes"

.

* * *

><p>The pink-haired man stumbled out of his Lamborghini Aventador, which was black with yellow streaks. He had reached work so late, <em>his <em>reason being "Woke up late since I was not feeling well", but _mainly _due to the fact that a certain _blonde_ Cat Woman had been occupying his mind. He had been in the shower for an hour or so, most of the time being lost in his memories regarding the blonde Cat Woman and the rest of time trying to bring his face back to normal…_so much,_ so that he even put ice on his face, but to no avail. Now, his head was currently lowered to hide his still blushing face behind his spiky bangs as he made his way to the office. He merely grunted in response when the guards at the parking garage greeted him, since he was busy trying to empty his mind of the blonde.

As soon as he entered the entrance to the large building, he was greeted with a faint, yet alluring scent. He unconsciously lifted his head to take a whiff of whatever was left of the scent as he hummed lowly, '_Sweet….._'

He froze in his tracks as his eyes went wide. He looked around the area, trying to find the source, but failed.

Closing his eyes, he raked a hand through his spiky pink locks, as he heaved a sigh, '_I __**am **__going crazy….._'

* * *

><p>A beep sounded on the phone signalling the intercom, disrupting the red-haired man from his work. Pressing the button to accept, he rumbled out, "Yes, Patty?"<p>

"Sir, the _candidate _is here to see you."

Hearing this, he straightened himself in his rather large, bulky chair, "Send the _candidate _in. And Patty, would you please tell Natsu , as _soon_ he arrives, to come and see me?"

"Of course, sir"

"Thank you", with that he put the receiver back and closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair,

'_Finally….._'

.

.

_Months ago, an unidentified hacker had uploaded a code into the company's network core and mainframe. It appeared on every computer linked to company's network core, with a message attached along with the code. Apparently, the hacker was someone who had issues with the company and presented to them a challenge. The challenge was to break the code within the next 72 hours and can be taken up by anyone, even worldwide. If the challenge was not completed within the deadline, a super-worm, code-named 'E.N.D', will be injected into the mainframe of the company. It has the capabilities of a super-virus mixed with a Trojan Horse, but much more powerful than any known of, in existence .It will affect the system to the core as well as the important files; and everything the company had ever owned will get transferred to the hacker as well, as soon as the deadline was reached. The code had blocked all other operations of the company, thus suspending their work._

_Every time someone worked on deciphering the code, the system they were working on would blank out and would not respond further. Programmers, software developers and even the company's best code breakers couldn't break the code. Professionals from other companies and all over the country came and tried, but in vain. And since the company was the sole base for everything related to network software and all other cyber related fields for the country, it was useless for the company to rely on the government's help…. Even professionals from outside the country who could reach there within the time limit came and tried, but the result was still the same. _

_The news of the unidentified hacker and the challenge had spread out like wildfire by the first day itself. The hacker did a good job of staying well-hidden. By the next day, the company had broadcasted the code worldwide via the internet, and included that the one who breaks the code will be rewarded with what he/she asks for. The broadcasting was done such that, as soon as the code was broken, it would be directly linked to the company system's core. Unfortunately, if the code backfired, people would then lose their computers, making it so that no one was willing to take a chance. As soon as the code was broadcasted, only few people tried their hand at breaking the code but in vain. There was a worldwide response to this situation and prayers were offered from all over the world for the safety of the company. By the second day, the company started to lose its potential investors and clients. Employees also started quitting their jobs at the company._

_Igneel, had started to go into a deep depression that time. Even his son Natsu, who was one of the best programmers in the company had tried, but to no avail. Makarov Dreyar, one of the closest friends of Igneel, had persuaded his grandson to try a hand, who eventually gave in to his coaxing, but his attempts also went futile. The only ones, who stood by the company at that time, were the ones who are working in the company, to the present day._

_By the third day, all faith had been lost. It was slowly being decided that the company would soon shut down and the ownership for running the government's software related sector was decided to be passed onto Raven Tail .Inc., the next best company in the world._

_Igneel, his son, and some of the other members never left the office during the three days. Igneel was heartbroken…. All his dreams, shattered... Natsu and the others kept on trying over and over without rest, but resulted in more systems getting shutdown. Igneel had tried to convince his son that it was no use, but Natsu still kept pushing on. Seeing his son working so hard, willed him to hold onto the last tiny ray of hope left in him and pray...Before they knew it, the countdown had reached the last two hours. They looked on, as hope dwindled in them while the last hours of the company's existence were broadcast throughout the world. All the clients and investors had withdrawn their partnerships with the company. _

_The countdown had reached the last hour. Once the countdown stops, it will be the end…._

_During the last minutes, everyone who stayed, were present in the mainframe room to witness the last moments, all the while, silently wishing for a miracle to happen._

_But, as soon as the countdown reached the last five minutes, the server and power to the whole company as well as buildings and surrounding areas shutdown completely without warning. As moments ticked by, nothing had changed. Everyone had thought that it was over. But, slowly the power came on and those who were present in the mainframe room, got the chance to witness a miracle. They all watched in awe, as the mainframe computer of the company, code-named, 'Fairy Law', restarted, displaying the message, "E.N.D eradicated. Fairy Law rebooting"_

_It was as if God had answered their prayers. The whole world rejoiced at the happy news. Igneel was the happiest among all, along with his son Natsu. _

_That was the first time after so many years, he got to hear Natsu call him 'Dad'... That was the happiest and most memorable moment, he will always treasure for the rest of his life._

_One of the best programmers had already tracked down the person responsible for eradicating the super- worm. But no information of the host, like phone number or house address could be tracked. All they knew was that the person was located in a country called Fiore. They tried to contact the unidentified programmer via email, but got no reply….the programmer had already logged out by that time…_

_The following days where like a festival. Many clients and investors, more than ever before, offered their partnerships to the company. Many offers from abroad the country, were also sent to the company, but, the company was still not able to maintain contact with the programmer. But the company still sent messages to the person's email account, in hopes of getting a response. Igneel was dead set on finding the host. The company was in the hero's debt. Igneel felt that, in a way he owed his __**life**__ to that__** one**__ person. _

_Finally, after weeks of continuous emails, the __**'mystery code-breaker'**__ finally responded…_

_._

_._

A quiet knock at the door interrupted Igneel from his reminiscence.

"Come in"

The door slowly opened, revealing a woman dressed in white plain shirt tucked in black slacks, wearing a sandalwood blazer over the shirt, with black ankle boots completing her look.

Igneel's eyes widened in happiness as well as surprise; happiness that he finally gets to meet the person who had brought his company back from the brink of extinction and surprise that she is more beautiful than he imagined her to be.

He immediately got up and walked towards the woman, extending his hand for a shake, while he had a face-splitting grin that he just couldn't control.

"_Finally_, you're here at last", his voice quivered a little, which the blonde did not notice, "I've been looking forward to this day", he said earnestly.

The nervousness was etched all over the woman's face, as she accepted the man's hand in her cold trembling one, which didn't go unnoticed by the man as he shook it.

With her hand still in his, Igneel offered a fatherly smile, "There is no need to be nervous. This is no interview. I just wanted to meet the one who saved my company, in person. So you can relax, Ms. Heartfilia", he gently squeezed her hand to help comfort her.

The said blonde, who felt like on the verge of running away due to nervousness gripping onto her, relaxed as soon as she saw the fatherly smile. "I-I… uh.. I-It's nothing sir-"

"Please. Call me Igneel", the man insisted.

"No, I couldn't call you like that, especially considering the fact that you're the Director and not to mention the owner of this company", the blonde honestly said.

"But, I wouldn't still be those people, if you hadn't broken the code", the man persuaded.

"Please sir. Please don't force me to address you like that. I respect you and admire you so much, that I can't bring myself to do so", the blonde replied with admiration in her eyes.

"Very well", Igneel resigned with a light chuckle, the fatherly smile still on his face, "Oh, where are my manners! Please, have a seat", he waved his hand over in the direction of the chairs.

"Thank you sir", the blonde did as she was told. Igneel went back to sit in his large bulky chair.

Igneel wore an inquiring look, "How do you like New York so far? I know you've only been here for a day, but still..."

"Well, I haven't gone around that much, but for my first day, I'd like to say, It's pretty great so far", the blonde wore a contented look as she answered.

"Oh, that's good to hear. And I hear that, you're staying in an apartment complex? Alone?"

The blonde nodded, "Yes, I'm staying at Fairy Hills. And currently I'm alone, due to the fact that my roommates are currently abroad on their leave"

"Ah, Fairy Hills. Some of our members are also staying there. They say it's quite great"

The blonde wore a smile, "Yes, it is a great apartment and quite big too"

Igneel chuckled, "Although, I must say, I'm pretty impressed that you already managed to find an apartment and started living there on the first day itself. Usually, people who come to New York or any other country in that matter for the first time, will either stay with their relatives or stay at a hotel or motel for some time, before finding their way around and getting a permanent place to settle in"

The blonde waved her hands in front of her, while giving out an embarrassed laugh, "Oh, no. If it weren't for my brother, I would have been in the same situation as those people.", the blonde ended with a loving smile adorning her face.

Igneel's lips formed an 'O' shape, "Oh? Is your brother from around here?"

"He isn't my brother. He's my cousin actually. And... He's not from around here. He lives _far_ away from New York."

"Oh, you are one lucky cousin! I can tell by that look on your face and the way you speak about him, that you see him as your _own_ brother"

"Yeah, I do, but I would never _ever_ tell that to him. I would never hear the end of it."

Igneel chuckled, "I see. Are you the only child of your parents? I mean do you have a brother, perhaps?"

"I am the only child of my parents. So, no, I don't have a brother. Why do you ask, sir?", the smile on the blonde faded a little.

"Well, it's just that, a young gentleman came by a few days back, claiming to be your brother. Since he said he was _your _brother, I couldn't help but invite him to my office. His resemblance was quite close to you, except for the hair color", the man had a small frown on his face, as if trying to remember.

"Did he say what his name was?". The blonde was on the verge of her seat, looking like she was trying to confirm her suspicions.

"I think he said his name was…. Kevin", the man replied, tapping his finger against his chin.

A gasp escaped the blonde's lips, "_That's_ the cousin I told you about. Ooooh ….", the rest faded into a low murmur, which didn't go unheard by the man owing to his sensitive ears, "…when I get my hands on that _boy_, he'll wish he were never born…"

Igneel chuckled again, "My, my. Your cousin seems to be protective of you. I mean, he came here to ask about your work and all."

"Yes, he can be a bit _over-_protective sometimes.", the blonde let out a nervous laugh.

"Ah, don't worry. He left us with a good impression of you, if that's what you're worried about"

The blonde shook her head, "No, no. I wasn't worried about that. I was just-"

"It's fine, dear. But I can't help but ask this though. Why didn't you accept any of our other offers regarding money or things of that manner? And why didn't you want your name to be known by the public?", Igneel eyed her curiously.

The blonde's smile disappeared, her voice turning dull, "I don't want money or fame. It will make your life only worse. That's what I learned from my experiences, at least. I just want a normal life. Besides, the money you earn through hard work is more satisfying to you than money from rewards. That's what I learned from my parents", a sad expression crossed the blonde's face.

Igneel's expression became concerned, "I see. But then, why didn't you accept our request to join the company?"

The blonde's expression turned serious, "I couldn't accept the offer that time due to some issues concerning my family. Besides, this would be my first time, and considering the fact that I am inexperienced, I would only mess up the tasks appointed to me"

Igneel was taken aback by the blonde's humbleness, "Are you joking? You broke a code that no one in the world could, yet here you are, telling me that you will mess up everything, simply because you're _inexperienced_! And not to mention, forgive my boasting, but _anyone _would _kill_ to work in this company even if they're inexperienced", by now Igneel's eyes were wide like saucers, his hands flailing about.

The blonde had shrunken into her chibi form in her chair, eyes wide. Noticing this, Igneel cleared his throat, returning to his normal self, "Ah, forgive me. But may I ask, how did you do it?"

The blonde returned to her normal self, her face showing confusion, "Sorry sir?"

"I mean, how did you break the code?", the man was curious now.

The blonde scratched the back of her head, letting out an embarrassed laugh, "Uh.. I-It was nothing"

"Oh please tell me. I really want to know. It must have taken countless hours of sleepless nights for you to come up with a solution, and I must say, I am really thankful for your dedication to our company", Igneel had a look of admiration in his eyes resembling a small child who got to a chance to see his favorite superhero.

"Actually, I didn't know of the code for the first two days. Of course, I had heard people talking about it and also on the news. But I didn't know that the code had been broadcasted worldwide. I was caught up in problems of my own at that time. It was Kevin who had told me of the code, actually", the blonde shook her head, a weak smile on her face, " I didn't know it was _that_ critical. Only after I had broken the code, had Kevin told me of the situation.. So, in a way, you should be thanking Kevin. I am just a mere programmer."

By now, Igneel was even more interested, "Oh, please remind me to thank him, the next time he decides to visit. But _please_, if it's not too much to ask of you, tell me your story, _from_ the start _and_ in detail_. _I _do _wish to know _how_ you did it"

Closing her eyes for a moment, the blonde took a deep breath, and looked at Igneel…

"It all started, when I was in my final year in college. Kevin used to always challenge me to all sorts of childish computer games and such, and being the annoying one he is, he will not let me sleep until I took up his challenge. And not to mention, he knows that I love taking up challenges, _especially_ if it's to get rid of him. But this time….", her expression turning serious, "… it was a different one. The challenge was to break a code. Since I have a knack for things related to these, he knew I wouldn't back down. So, he downloaded this code that he _says_ he found on a website, onto both our laptops, and the challenge began. The code looked like a normal one when I analysed it at first…."

"But Kevin…", the blonde shook her head as she continued, "… being the eager one _he_ is, went on to decipher it. Moments later, before both of us knew what had happened, an alert sounded and his system blanked out. That's when I realized that it wasn't just a normal code. It had some potential threat hidden it that is similar to a virus. He and I tried working on it, but the system would not respond….", the blonde paused and let out a sigh.

Her voice turned low again, "Kevin was so devastated. The system had cost a fortune to his parents and all his important files were in it, which couldn't be replaced. It was like an important part of his life", the blonde lowered her head, disappointed.

Lifting her head to look up at Igneel, her face turning to that of concern, "I felt bad for him…. So I decided to help him out. But it didn't cross my mind at the time to ask him from where he had obtained the code, since I was so engrossed in finding a solution. I had not yet started deciphering the code on my system. And I knew that if I did the same procedure as _he_ did, my laptop would have the same fate."

A look of determination crossed her face, "That's when an idea struck me. You see, I had developed some applications, which would help a user in certain situations, as part of a project I had to do for college. I had 15 of them developed. These applications can communicate with the user directly by voice, through the language the user understands and has the ability to understand what the user wants. Each application is designed for a particular purpose and they have the ability to think like humans. I gave them an artificial intelligence beyond what normal people can comprehend. They can sense our emotions and needs, like humans normally do, _even_ before we tell them. Overall, they were developed to behave like humans, so they can communicate with us. I grouped them under the code-name, 'Celestial Spirits' and named 10 of them after the Zodiacs. I code-named them as such, since I have taken a liking to the constellations ever since I was a kid. The other 5 applications, I didn't name after the zodiacs though, but they are just as equally important. Each of these applications has a mind of its own and different personalities. But unfortunately I haven't been able to link them on any systems other than my laptop. It's like one-user policy.", the blonde slightly frowned, while looking down, the back of her hand folded under chin, as if thinking.

Shaking her head, to clear her thoughts, she looked back up, to face Igneel…her expression neutral, "So, as I was saying. I had forgotten to charge up my laptop and one of my applications 'Virgo' had popped up onto my screen notifying me of the battery running low. That's when it struck me….", the blonde fisted her right hand and hit it on the palm of her left hand, a spark of determination in her eyes, " I could use my 'Celestial Spirits'! If I could analyse the code in parts with their help, I could know what the code is actually meant for. But since the code would shut down the system, the moment someone started working on it, I used 'Gemini' to replicate the code. 'Gemini' has the ability to extract information from a code and produce an exact replica of it, which would behave in a manner similar to the code."

The blonde gestured her hands, as if explaining, "From 'Gemini' I got the information that the code actually had a hidden program in it, that would nullify whatever deciphering is done to break the code. It also allowed the hacker to take control of the desired system and do what the hacker wanted, while remaining hidden. In this case, as soon as Kevin started working on the code, the program nullified it and the hacker shut down the laptop's capability of operating further, or in other words, blanked out.

So, I replicated the code with the help of 'Gemini', without the hacker or the program knowing. I used 'Crux' to analyse the code structure. Once the structure was analysed, I got to know that the code had viruses implemented in it that was responsible for blanking out. And the code was also designed such that, if anyone was able to get past the nullifying program, deciphering of some parts of the code will lead to shutdown of the system. Since deciphering was out of question, rewriting the code was the only available option."

A small smile appeared on her face as her eyes shone with determination, " With the help of 'Cancer', I modified the code such that it would act like an antivirus which would eradicate any program or virus, that would pose a threat to the system on which it is implemented…_even_ if it means eradicating itself. But overall, it is same as the real code, but with the antivirus feature.

After I had modified the code, the next step was to replace the real code with the modified code. So I linked Kevin's laptop with my laptop, via wireless connection, and merged both the codes. Merging was done in a way that, the modified code will blend in with the real code, without the hacker's or the program's knowledge. Sort of like a chameleon. As soon as the modified code was merged fully with the real code, I activated it. The modified code took control, such that it became the real code, but with both the antivirus and the program embedded in it. And as soon I had activated the modified code, it considered itself as a threat to Kevin's computer, due to some viruses of the original one getting attached with it, and started to self-destruct. Meanwhile, I had quickly cut off the link from my laptop to that of Kevin's as soon as I had activated the code, or the self-destruction process would affect my laptop too, since my laptop is also a foreign entity. As soon as it was over, his laptop automatically rebooted, with a message displayed saying 'E.N.D eradicated, system rebooting'.", the blonde paused while a victorious grin appeared on her face.

Her face suddenly contorted into a frown, "That's when I remembered and asked Kevin from where he had downloaded the code. _That's _when he told me of the company's situation.", the blonde paused, her expression showing a mixture of concern, uncertainty and pain, "After hearing about it, I really wanted to help the company but I didn't want anything to do with it after that. I knew it would lead to publicity and all, which I hated. But the fact that a big company which had such fame and power worldwide, was being reduced to nothing by a hacker, pained me. So I decided to help the company.", her eyes filled with determination, with her right hand fisted in front of her chest.

"By that time, the countdown had already reached the last half hour or so. And the modified code would take at least a half hour to merge and be activated. So I broke the modified code into blocks, which will make the merging process faster. By then, the countdown had reached the last twenty minutes and there were around _hundreds_ of computers in your company, that activating it on a mere sub-computer will just prove useless.", her expression turned serious.

"So I did the next possible thing. I decided to link my laptop to the company's mainframe and activate the code on the main server, since it basically controls and runs the networking of the whole company. I also decided to use 'Leo', 'Capricorn' and 'Sagittarius' to help with the merging process since their processing speed is fast and has proved helpful in many emergency situations."

The blonde frowned a little, "I tried to link my laptop with the mainframe computer, thinking that the hacker must have already managed to take down the security. But the hacker must have passed through the firewalls without having to take them down, and managed to obtain the security passwords without the company's knowledge. I noticed this, cause when I tried to link both the systems, it failed due to the firewalls and security passwords protecting the server. That must be why the company didn't get alerted of the mainframe being hacked, before the challenge was issued.". Still lost in her memories, her face and tone hardens into a more serious expression , " I had no time to hack through that many firewalls and obtain that many security codes with the normal software.", again a smile mixed with determination appeared on her face, " So I used 'Cancer', since that application can obtain _any_ security code. 'Virgo' popped up just in time to give me the idea that she could go _underneath_ the firewalls by creating a tunnel, since tunneling _through_ the mainframe computer's firewall would take a lot of time. Overall, it took exactly four minutes to pass through the security.

As soon as my laptop got linked to the mainframe computer, I transferred the code blocks. My 'Spirits' opened up on their own; the moment the transfer started. The transfer and merging process was done within eleven minutes, thanks to my 'Spirits'.". Her face resembled that of pride for her 'Spirits', mixed with a victorious grin.

"And as soon as the merging process was completed, I withdrew my 'Spirits' from the mainframe computer, since they will also be considered a threat by the modified code. With only five minutes remaining, I immediately activated the code.", the blonde paused, looking down.

Her expression turned grave as she continued, " But, as soon as the program code started to self-destruct…I had run out of time to cut-off the link from the mainframe computer, due to all that security of the mainframe….", she paused again, still looking down, bangs covering her eyes.. She took a deep breath, but her voice quivered a little as she continued, "….I-I thought my laptop would also shutdown. I hadn't completely closed up my 'Spirits' and… a-and I-I thought I would…I would l-lose them too…and….I-I could only watch on ….while I waited for that to happen.", the blonde paused again, raising her hands to wipe the tears that began to flow down. Suddenly the blonde emitted a low chuckle , "But luckily…", she raised her head up, with tears at the corner of her eyes, a smile adorning her slightly wet face, "'Horologium had sensed my distress and immediately went into 'Automatic Danger Response Mode', and popped up just in time, shielding the system from the code's self-destruction….If 'Horologium' had not popped up in time…", the smile disappeared as she tilted her head slightly downwards, as her voice lowered, "I-I would have lost my 'Spirits'…. I don't know what I would do without them….". The blonde paused as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself.

Her expression was a little sad as she looked up, "But even though the danger was countered for, my laptop's network adapter and other hardware and software related settings got messed up….But I'm glad that my 'Spirits' are safe….", a small adoring smile appeared on her face as she looked down again, with her hands on her chest.

"…. My laptop getting messed up was how I appeared to be logged out for the following weeks….and…you know the rest..", the blonde finished, with a sheepish smile on her face, rubbing her hand behind her neck.

When there was no response, the blonde looked up to see what happened. A small 'eek' escaped the blonde's lips as she recoiled back in her seat, her arms and legs pulled to the left side of her body in a defensive manner... shocked at the sight before her. There across the large table, sat her future boss with his mouth wide open. His eyes were enlarged to the size of saucers, which sparkled in pure admiration and amazement; while his hands were clasped together, in front of his chest. His entire expression reminded the blonde of how a child looked like when they see the fireworks for the first time.

"Sir, are you alright?".

No response. The blonde swore she caught a glimpse of a small bit of drool starting to form at the corner of his wide-open mouth..

The blonde, waved a hand in front of his face, "Mr. Igneel-"

A door opened interrupting the blonde.

"Hey old man-"

Turning around in her chair to look at the intruder, her eyes widened in realization while a small gasp escaped her slightly parted lips. Her cheeks coated with a light pink as memories from last evening's encounter filled her mind….

* * *

><p>A beep sounded from the office phone signalling the intercom, interrupting the pink-haired man from his <em>trance<em>. He was currently in his office along with the team members, working on the program code for the project from yesterday. At one moment, his mind would be engrossed in the code….then the next thing he knows…his mind is full of…..

'_Sweet…._'

Cursing himself for the lack of concentration, he picked up the receiver, "Yes. How may I help you?"

"Ah, Natsu-san. The Director wishes to see you", the familiar voice of the secretary sounded on the other end of the line.

'_What does he want now_?_ He can't sit still without seeing me for a minute, can he?_', letting out a frustrated sigh, "I'll be there in five", with that he placed the receiver down, '_This is why I always misplace the receiver out of its base. But then also, he somehow manages to find another way. That old geezer…_'

He got up from his seat and walked out of the room, ignoring the stares directed to him again, his mind full of '_That old geezer better have something important this time….._'

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.

.

Opening the door to the secretary's room, a proud smile appeared on his face as he mentally patted himself for doing a good job on restraining his mind from drifting off to the scent, for the first time that day. As if his mind had heard him and answered him with a 'think again…'; a strong enticing scent hit his nostrils like a tidal wave, the moment he set his foot into the room.

And yet again, he unconsciously lifted his head, as he closed his eyes…his proud smile turning into that of a blissful one, and took a deep whiff, as if his life depended on it…..

'_Sweet….._'

The sound of a throat being cleared, snapped the pink-haired man out of his fantasy. Turning his head towards the source, he was met with the face of the secretary who had a brow raised at him.

"_Good afternoon_ Natsu-san. Your father is busy with a client at the moment-"

Pretending that nothing happened earlier, "Eh? My father won't mind. He probably wants to say good morning, considering how he wants to see me _every_ minute of the day!", the pink-haired replied in a sarcastic manner, waving his hand off in a dismissing manner. He was not in a mood to deal with his father and the fact that the tantalizing fragrance, that had pleasured his nostrils just a moment ago, thus intensifying the blush that was on his face, wasn't helping either.

"Bu-", the secretary's protest was ignored as Natsu opened the door to his father's office.

"Hey old man-", his words got stuck in his throat as soon as his eyes landed on the back of a head…._Blonde_ head to be specific….He could feel the temperature on his face rising up more, as soon as the owner of the head turned in her seat to look at him. He saw her eyes widening in realization, as soon they met his…her pink lips parted as a small gasp escaped them…A light blush coated her pale white cheeks….

Both of them remained frozen…..unable to move…. Even their breath caught in their throats, as they continued to stare into each other's eyes…..

One thought entered their mind…

'_I could get lost in them…_'

Igneel, who was in a frozen state, broke out of his trance as soon as he heard Natsu, "Ah, Natsu. I had calle-"

"I-I have..to use…t-the w-washroom", Natsu couldn't control his stutter.

"Bu-", Igneel's words got cut off by a loud slamming of the door.

Natsu stumbled towards the washroom with one hand over his face to hide his blush, '_Not AGAIN… Now I'm starting to see her __**everywhere**__…_'

He locked himself in the washroom and checked his face in the mirror above the washbasin. His face was a darker shade of pink now. He groaned as he ran his hand over his face.

Turning the tap on, he splashed his face with water, to the extent of wetting his shirt and hair, in an attempt to lower the temperature of his face.

Looking up to examine his face again, his eyes suddenly widened….

'_But that scent….it's stronger now….and those clothes…I've…..never seen those before….That means….._'

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Sound of running water filled the empty washroom, as the one who forgot to turn it off, had rushed out and made a mad dash back to the Director's office…..a determined look on his face…..

'_She's here…_…__…__'

* * *

><p><strong>Finally…..<strong>

**I know most you didn't like the chapter. Gomene.**

**But please tell me how you felt about this chapter. It would be really mean a lot to me if you let me know what you felt for this chapter especially. Since, it's like a turning point. **

**The part about the crisis and Lucy's strategy and all may be a bit confusing. It just sort of popped up in my mind. About those applications and all.. Tell me how you thought of them….PLEASE..**

**Also. I made a mistake of Kevin residing all the way across Fiore in Chapter-I. I failed to notice it, until I reread it. He lives all the way across America.**

**Please feel free to give your suggestions, ideas and opinions. Let me know of any errors in the chapter.**

**Thank you for your time….**

**Arigatou.**


	7. Chapter 7: Ignis Immortalis

**Hello guys.**

**I have finally updated the next chapter. I took this much time since I was confused on how the characters should be introduced. **

**It may be a little boring at the beginning, but I assure you that the GOOD PART begins in this chapter onwards****.**

**I am so happy to read this much reviews. I didn't think I would get this much actually and I am so happy. I have replied to your reviews as usual. And I also want to thank all those readers for their favourites and follows also. Your support and encouragement means a lot to me.**

**Guest:****If you're reading this…Thank you for your comment. I am really happy that you liked it. Here's your next chapter. Enjoy!**

**I would like to thank bestangelbaby for her help and support. She helped me with the sentence constructions. Her encouragement and support helped me in making this chapter as it is now.**

**Bestangelbaby….if you're reading this. I don't know what to say to you. But…Thank you. Thank you, so much for being there with me…**

**DISCLAIMER:****I do not own Fairy Tail. It Belongs to Hiro Mashima sensei.**

**But the OCs are mine..**

**Just to be clear **

"Speech"

'_Thoughts' _

_'__Thoughts in dream'_

_Flashback_

_'__**Thoughts during flashback**__'_

* * *

><p><strong><span>Previously:<span>**

_"…__.I don't wanna be friends with you __**anymore**__…Hell, I don't wanna be even __**involved**__ with you anymore…..Goodbye"_

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.

_"__I want to prove to my dad that my mom did a good job in bringing me up… I want him to regret not helping my mom in teaching me and bringing me up…to regret blaming my mom in everything he has said about me…"_

_._

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._ "__Yet…. I know that… these will not come true…"_

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_"…__..Besides, keeping these secrets and my problems to myself, will give a spark for me to move on…"_

_._

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_"…__.MARK MY WORDS LAYLA…__**YOUR**__ DAUGHTER WILL SLOWLY BECOME LIKE THAT RETARDED BOY AND ROT SLOWLY IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES…."_

_._

_._

_"__The Director is looking forward to meeting you."_

_._

_"__And baby girl, know that you're always on my mind, praying for you_

_With every breath of my life…."_

_._

_._

'_Mama…. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…._'.

_._

_._

'_I __**am **__going crazy….._'

_._

_._

"Sir, the _candidate _is here to see you."

'_Finally….._'

_._

_. But , as soon as the countdown reached the last five minutes, the server and power to the whole company as well as buildings and surrounding areas shutdown completely without warning. As moments ticked by, nothing had changed. Everyone had thought that it was over. But, slowly the power came on and those who were present in the mainframe room, got the chance to witness a miracle. They all watched in awe, as the mainframe computer of the company, code-named, 'Fairy Law', restarted, displaying the message, "E.N.D eradicated. Fairy Law rebooting"_

_._

_._

_Igneel was dead set on finding the host. The company was in the hero's debt. Igneel felt that, in a way he owed his __**life**__ to that__** one**__ person. _

_Finally, after weeks of continuous emails, the __**'mystery code-breaker'**__ finally responded…_

_._

_._

_"__Yes, I'm staying at Fairy Hills. And currently I'm alone, due to the fact that my roommates are currently abroad on their leave"_

_"__Ah, Fairy Hills. Some of our members are also staying there. They say it's quite great"_

_._

_._

_"__His resemblance was quite close to you, except for the hair colour_"

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_"…__.I-I thought my laptop would also shutdown. I hadn't completely closed up my 'Spirits' and… a-and I-I thought I would…I would l-lose them too…and….I-I could only watch on ….while I waited for that to happen….But luckily…Horologium had sensed my distress and immediately went into 'Automatic Danger Response Mode', and popped up just in time, shielding the system from the code's self-destruction….If 'Horologium' had not popped up in time…I-I would have lost my 'Spirits'…. I don't know what I would do without them…."._

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'_I could get lost in them…_'

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'_Not AGAIN… Now I'm starting to see her __**everywhere**__…_'

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'_But the scent….it's stronger now….and those clothes…I've…..never seen those before….That means….._'

.

.

'_She's here…._'

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER VII<strong>

**…****..Ignis Immortalis…..**

* * *

><p>Sweat-dropping at the scene that just happened, both the people stared awkwardly at the door.<p>

A tick mark can be seen on Igneel's forehead, '_That brat _!'. Covering his mouth with a fisted hand, he tried to cough off the awkwardness that had settled, before continuing, "So… where were we?"

Snapped out of her trance, the blonde turned back around in her seat to face her future boss, "Um…. How I… broke the code?", she tried to answer, but ended up in a question.

"Ah, right.", he straightened himself in his burly chair.

Closing her eyes, the blonde lowered her head and sighed in relief, '_Oh God…I thought that pinky would just blurt it out. What was he doing here anywa-'_

"You know…"

Broken out of her thoughts, the blonde let out a small hum while looking up to face Igneel.

"…..To come up with a strategy as _ingenious_ as that, and that too, in less than a _day_… I've got to say…. I'm quite _impressed_. I mean, not _any _one of our programmers including our _best_ ones who were at it for _three_ days, _or _even those who came from all over, could come up with a plan this…this…_brilliant_!…..", a pink tinge coated the blonde's cheeks as the words flowed out of Igneel's mouth, whose eyes were now back to being wide as saucers again, showing amazement. Lucy lowered her head a little to hide her blush.

"…. I _can't_ help saying this…but...", Igneel closed his eyes for a moment as if contemplating whether it was appropriate for him, to say what he was going to say next, or not, "… Hats off to you, …..", opening his eyes, Igneel's lips curved into a smile, his overall face expression holding nothing but pure admiration for the blonde in front of him.

The blonde's eyes widened as soon as the words processed in her head. Tilting her head up a little, she tried hard to control the tears that started to prick at the corner of her eyes on seeing that smile on Igneel. Her chest swirled with pride and happiness on hearing such words come from the most successful and renowned person whom she always looked up to.

"…Your parents must be very proud of you"

The moment she heard those words, all the feelings that had overwhelmed her just before, disappeared. The blonde tried to conjure a weak smile while giving a small nod in reply…. '_More like __**parent**__….._'

Failing to notice the change in her expression, Igneel heaved out a sigh as he continued, "You know, we could use someone as _gifted_ and _brilliant_ as you to lead our Cyber Base or Software Sector. What do you say to that, Ms. Heartfilia?", a pleading look crossed the man's face as he looked towards the said blonde.

Her eyes widened like saucers, as the words got stuck in her throat, "W-what? N-No sir. I couldn't _possibly_ accept that offer, _especially_ considering the fact that this is my _first_ job!"

"But, you are so talented and not to mention, you saved our company. It's the least I could do for you", by now Igneel was whining while flailing his arms trying to reason with the blonde.

"Please sir. I _want_ you to consider me as you would consider _any_ newly appointed employee, and I request you to assign me to the appropriate sector and position based upon my qualifications.", the blonde had a stern look on her face.

"But….."

"Please sir", the blonde implored.

Seeing that the blonde wouldn't back down, Igneel sighed in resignation as he closed his eyes, "Very well then, if that's what you wish….", pausing his words, he opened his eyes which held a strict glint to them and continued, "…. But know this Ms. Heartfilia. We _do_ promote employees based on their performance, and _your_ promotion will be no exception. I _will_ promote you _when_ the time comes and _as_ we see fit. Am I clear, Ms. Heartfilia?", by now Igneel was pointing his index finger at the blonde as if challenging her, with determination in his eyes.

The blonde's eyes widened in shock at the sudden change of mood in her soon-to-be-boss and sweat-dropped on detecting the challenge lacing his voice.

Swallowing thickly, she nervously nodded, "Y-Yes sir"

"That's settled then", Igneel swiveled his chair a little to the side, and reached his hand to press a button on his office phone, "Patty…"

A voice sounded on the other end, "Yes sir?"

"Could you bring Ms. Heartfilia's appointment letter?"

"Yes sir", with that, Igneel retracted his hand from the button and turned to face the blonde.

"So, when do you intend on joining here?"

"Well today is Thursday. I was thinking I could join on….Monday maybe?", the blonde asked, her face scrunched up in doubt.

A knock sounded on the door, to which Igneel answered with a "Come in."

The door opened, revealing the brunette woman, who had introduced herself to the blonde as the Director's Secretary, entering with an envelope in her hand.

"Here's the appointment letter, sir", she handed the envelope to Igneel. The woman offered a gentle smile to the blonde before turning to exit the large room.

"Well, Monday it is then. As you wanted me to treat you as any other employee, you will be following the company's protocols then. Since you are new here, you'll be placed in training which will last for a month or two, depending on your performance.

You will be assigned to a team of _our_ choice, for now. The team, in general, will consist of trainees like you, permanent members of the team and above all, a team leader.

Some of the trainees may be those who have joined around the same time as you. But there _are_ also others who are still in training for over a month. You can gain from them, what they have learned and experienced, and get acquainted with them. The permanent members of the team are those who have chosen to work with the team, after their training.

Whenever you need help and guidance in the work assigned to you, _that's_ where the team leader comes in. _Their_ job is to not only _coordinate_ the overall work of the project undertaken by the team, but to also lead _each_ and _every_ member of the team, in the right direction. They give the necessary suggestions, advices, and point out the flaws in your work _and_ _also_ provide help whenever you need it. And it is based on _their_ report on your performance that _we_ decide whether your training is complete or not.

But they are just like _any_ other member on the team. A project work undertaken by the team is divided _equally_ among its members, including the team leader. That means the team leader must also do a share of the work.

But remember….Failure on behalf of _one_ member is a failure for the _entire_ team. _That_ is what it means to work as a team.

Moreover, this training period is not only for you to perfect your skills and gain knowledge, but it is also for you to _familiarize_ with the _ways_ of our company.

There is _more_ to this company than meets the eye. It works differently than the companies you've ever seen and heard of. In time, you will learn about it. By the end of your training period, we will assign you to the Sector and Organization of your choice. You are to learn about them _also,_ within this training period.

_But_ if you have not made up a decision by then, we will have to decide it _for_ you."

By now, the blonde had tensed up, '_How am I supposed to learn all of this within a month or so…_'

Sensing the tension in the blonde, Igneel chuckled, "Don't worry Ms. Heartfila. We haven't had the chance to make such a decision for an employee. Every employee who got appointed here always found their place in the company eventually. And I believe you will too.", a fatherly smile appeared on his face.

On hearing this, the blonde visibly relaxed.

"Very well, . It was a pleasure to _finally_ meet with you.", with that Igneel rose up from his chair and extended his hand towards the blonde for a shake. The blonde who had stood up along with Igneel, accepted his hand. Igneel closed his eyes for a moment and let out a breath. Opening his eyes, his expression softened, the smile never leaving his face. He continued… his voice now gentle, "I _really_ can't thank you enough…. If it weren't for you, this company wouldn't be as it is now…. I am forever in your debt….. Ms. Heartfilia", his smile turned into that of one, which the blonde couldn't comprehend. Her eyes widened slightly as she swore she saw a little hint of tears at the corner of the man's eyes.

Waving her free hand in front of her face, with the palm facing sideways, the blonde let out a sheepish laugh, "I-It's nothing sir, really."

"If you face any difficulties here or if you need anything, _please….please _don't hesitate to come to me.". He gave her hand a gentle squeeze to show that he meant what he said.

"I will sir, thank you", the blonde offered a weak smile in a return.

He let go of her hand and handed her the appointment letter with a gentle smile,

The blonde looked down at the envelope that enclosed her appointment letter, with a blissful smile on her face while a faint blush coated her cheeks. Her chest bubbled with emotions she couldn't comprehend. Tears threatened to prick at the corner of her eyes without her consent.

"Lucy…."

The said blonde let out small hum of surprise, startled by the fact that it was the first time she had heard Igneel call her by her first name.

Her eyes widened on seeing a smile that radiated encouragement as well as fatherliness, off the red-haired man.

"There is small spark inside of you…._way_ different from the ones I have seen and encountered during my life here….a spark has led you to where you are now….Don't let that spark dwindle, child….for I see great potential in you. And as a member of this company, it is _your_ duty to carry on our motto….

Let that spark inside of you, grow into a beautiful flame which burns eternally in you, Lucy….And _that_ is the true mission that we, our company, have vowed to carry out…..to bring out in people, their _eternal flame_…the _symbol_ of our company…."

By now, Lucy's eyes were wide as her chest filled with emotions, she couldn't fathom at the moment. A lump began to form in her throat as she gripped onto the edge of her table with her free hand, trying hard not to tremble. Swallowing thickly, she prevented the tears from welling up. Her mind was blank at the moment as her breath hitched in her throat.

The smile on Igneel's face grew into a heart-warming grin…..

"….Welcome to Ignis Immortalis…. Lucy"

* * *

><p>"What are you doing here?"<p>

The pink-haired man halted in his steps. He was currently in a mad dash back to Director's office to confirm his madness. Turning to look at the source, he immediately gritted his teeth, but did not show it.

'_Just __**great**__! _'

"To see father", was his only reply, before he made to go past the person.

"Can't live a day without seeing him, I see-"

The words got drowned off, as the pink haired man didn't bother to hear the rest, regaining his pace, with only one thing on his mind…..

'_I hope I make it in time….._'

* * *

><p>"My best wishes to you Ms. Heartfilia. I have faith in you….", with the heart-warming grin still on his face, Igneel extended his hand one more time towards the blonde.<p>

The blonde had by now, regained her composure and held a determined look on her face as she faced her boss, extending her hand in return.

Offering a curt nod, the blonde replied, "I won't let you down sir."

With one last firm handshake, Igneel led the blonde to the door and opened it for her.

"I look forward to meet with you again, Ms. Heartfilia.", Igneel smiled at the blonde.

"Me too sir", the blonde offered a smile in return.

As soon as she stepped out of the room, the Secretary stood up out of respect for her boss and offered a heart-warming smile to the blonde. Lucy couldn't help but smile back.

"I assume you two have met?", the boss inquired the two women. The women turned to look at their boss and nodded with the smile still on their faces.

But the smile on the Secretary's face disappeared as if she remembered something.

"Sir, Mr. Acnologia called up an hour before. He told me to inform you that your father has arranged for a meeting with some _important_ guests at 02:00 p.m., this afternoon. He and your father will be arriving here shortly along with the guests."

The expression on Igneel visibly turned grim as he checked the time on his watch. '_01:30p.m. Great. Just the person to ruin my day…._'

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath to clear his mind of the irritating thoughts about the oncoming meeting.

Opening his eyes, he turned towards the blonde with the smile reappearing on his face, "Well Ms. Heartfilia. Since its lunch hour, would you care to have lunch from the company's food court, since it's my fault for keeping you here for so long? You must be hungry by now", the man wore an imploring look in his eyes.

The blonde politely waved her hands in front of her with a weak smile on her face, "I appreciate your kind offer sir, but I'm afraid I have to decline-"

"_Please…_ I insist", Igneel had now put up the best puppy dog face he could muster.

The blonde's eyes widened at the man's behavior, and tried hard to prevent a giggle from erupting from her throat.

"I really I wish I could sir. But I can't. As you know, I just reached New York yesterday. So I have a lot of unpacking to do at my apartment. And I have to get settled as soon as possible, since I am joining here this Monday. Sorry sir. But thank you for your offer."

The red-haired man sighed, "Very well then. But….", his expression suddenly changed, "… you have to have lunch with me someday, you _hear_ me, young lady?", the man held a stern glint to his eyes as he looked towards the blonde.

The blonde was surprised by the sudden change of expression in her boss as she nervously nodded, "Y-Yes sir"

Igneel turned to face his secretary, "Is Stan still here to escort back?"

The secretary nodded, "Yes sir, he is waiting outside."

Turning back to face the blonde, "Off you go then, Ms. Heartfilia. Our personnel will escort you to one of our vehicles to take you back to your apartment."

The blonde's eyes widened, as a small gasp escaped her lips, "Oh please sir. I can-"

"Please Lucy. At least accept this offer. It's the least I can do for you now.", the red-haired man's face was now contorted into a pleading expression.

The blonde sighed in resign as she closed her eyes for a moment, "As you wish sir. Thank you very much sir", she opened her eyes with a small smile across her lips.

* * *

><p>Silence filled the vast empty hallway that led to the east wing. A janitor can be seen waxing the floors with headphones plugged in his ears, thereby cutting off the surrounding noises, while he bobbed his head with the beat of the music. A bright yellow sign that said "Caution: Wet Floor Wax" was set up behind him to the side…..<p>

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Out of nowhere, the silence was disrupted as the sound of rushing footsteps echoed throughout. A pink haired man had rounded the corner to this empty hallway, as this was the fastest way to the Director's office. A determined look was present on the man's face as he increased his speed on entering the hallway. He was too engrossed in getting to the office as fast as possible, that he didn't notice the janitor waxing the floors. Nor did he pause to read what the yellow sign had said.

'**_Almost _**_**the**__-_'

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A childish scream can be heard throughout the empty hallway, along with the sound of shoes squeaking against the smooth surface that had replaced the sound of rushing footsteps… appearing as if someone was skating while trying to maintain balance. The owner of the scream gushed past the janitor in lightning speed, producing enough wind to ruffle the hair and clothes of the janitor who doesn't seem to notice, while he still bobbed his head with the music…..

* * *

><p>A small gasp was escaped from behind the two people. Turning around to face the secretary, "Ah, I almost forgot. The floors of the hallway leading to the east wing are being waxed sir."<p>

Igneel paused a moment to process this information before replying, "Oh, in that case, we will take west wing then", with that the boss opened the doors and held it open for the blonde. "Let me accompany you to the elevator, Ms. Heartfilia.", turning his head sideways to face his secretary, "I'll be back-"

A distant noise interrupted the man's speech. He paused and lowered his head a little while a frown appeared on his face….and tried to place where the noise was coming from, as it got louder and louder. Suddenly he felt his hair getting tousled by a gush of wind to his side. A gasp sounded, surprising the man who snapped his head towards the source. He saw his secretary standing, with eyes wide as saucers while a hand covered her gaping mouth. He frowned again and turned back to see what the brunette was so shocked about….

The blonde woman who stood out there a moment ago, was now nowhere in sight….

Confused, he stepped out into the hallway and turned his head left ….then right….

.

.

.

His eyes suddenly widened, while his face turned white….

Away….went his favorite blonde savior/employee whom he tried _so_ _hard_ in getting to join his company, being _ruthlessly_ carried away by what seemed to be a pink blur of his son, skidding down the never ending hallway floor….like the masked 'Prince of Thieves', who had stolen something oh-so-precious from him, escaping into the dark abyss of the night….both the people's screams fading away into the distance…..

.

.

His pupils had contracted to less than the size of dots…. One of his hands, fallen limply to his sides… while the other, extended as if to reach out for the retreating figure of the blonde… his body shaking violently, all the while sweating bullets….his jaw almost hitting the floor….

Incoherent noises erupted from the red-haired man's throat as he stood there paralyzed….watching the scene helplessly, choking on his own breath.

'_I HOPE SHE DOESN'T CHANGE HER MIND….!'_

* * *

><p>As soon as her boss opened the door for her, the blonde stepped back out into short area which led back into the vast hallway that extended left and right. Walking towards the hallway, she closed her eyes and heaved huge sigh of relief…relieved that she made it through the interview. '<em>My first interview. Not bad fo-'<em>

A distant scream interrupted her thoughts as she stopped at beginning of the hallway, her face turning into a frown at the sudden interruption. Turning to look at the source, her eyes widened as she made out a pink blur of a man with arms flailing wildly at his sides, as if trying to maintain his balance….skidding towards the blonde at lightning speed. A squeak escaped her lips, as the blonde's face contorted to that of a deer caught in the headlights while everything happened so fast…

"WATCH OUT!"

The blonde felt immobilized as she closed eyes out of reflex…

.

.

"Oof…", echoed throughout the hallway.

She felt herself being swept off her feet but immediately felt her weight being shifted downwards followed by a loud thump, all the while feeling her body being tightly enveloped by something. She felt her face being stuffed into some soft fabric.

Lifting her face up, she found herself lost in the same onyx eyes from earlier…

* * *

><p>The blonde laid over pink-haired man as both the people couldn't help but get lost in each other's eyes….<p>

'_I could get lost in them…_'

They were broken out of their trance when the blonde's hair swayed in the wind, interrupting their moment….

Same thought crossed their minds…

'_Wind…?_'

Both directed their vision towards the front….

Suddenly their eyes widened on realizing they were still skidding at high speed across the never ending floor.

But….their eyeballs almost bulged out of their sockets on seeing that they were fast approaching some sort of double metaled doors at the far end.

They did the only thing that came to their now numb mind….

They held onto each other for dear life, screaming their heart out while anime tears poured out of their eyes.

Nearing the metal doors, they closed their eyes, bracing for the impact, while gripping onto each other tightly….

.

.

.

A loud thump along with 'Ooofs' sounded when both of them collided painfully against the doors. Groans escaped their lips as pain shot through their bodies….their face scrunched up in agony.

A sound of running footsteps accompanied by a bellowing voice reverberated throughout the hallway, making them forget their pain temporarily…

Forcing their eyes open, they were immediately met with each other's gazes…Both of them were shocked at how close their faces were. Blush started to creep on their faces unknowingly, as they gazed deeply into each other's eyes. They laid there paralyzed, not able to break off their stares…

Lucy lay on top of Natsu, with her hands underneath her body on the man's chest… lost in the pink-haired man's deep onyx eyes….. Natsu lay flatly on the ground with his head tilted upwards a little, as he gazed deeply into the blonde's large alluring chocolate brown orbs….Both could feel each other's warm breath tickling their faces….

One thought entered their mind….

'_Am I dreaming…_ ?'

_._

_._

_._

"NATSU! YOU BRAT! YOU JUST CAN'T KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF, _CAN YOU_? I ONLY THOUGHT YOU WERE LIKE THIS ONLY AT _NIGHT AT THE CLUB_. BUT NOW IN THE MORNING TOO! AND THAT TOO, _HERE_ ON ONE OF OUR _EMPLOYEES_?!"

And just like that they were snapped back to reality. Turning to look at the source, both immediately clung onto each other for dear life, their bodies trembling vigorously and eyes widened like saucers with tears welling up at the corner of their eyes, looking like two chibi kids caught stealing candy….

There stood Igneel, with a vein bulging on the side of his forehead while his hair appeared to be pulled out and disheveled, his face fiery red, breathing heavily….altogether looking like a raging fire dragon with smoke out of its nostrils, sharp fangs showing and fire spilling out of its mouth. The man-in-suit from earlier, stood there beside him, taking in the scene with amusement.

Igneel pointed an accusing finger towards his pink-haired son, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING BOY?!"

A ding followed by the sound of sliding doors can be heard, interrupting the red-haired man. Nastu and Lucy stared at him in confusion, as his expression turned from red-faced anger into a grim and tensed one, while he straightened himself….

The blonde was still looking up at her boss in confusion, her mind blank at the moment, when a small growl erupted from the man underneath her. She looked down at the pink-haired man who was now looking behind her, his eyes widened, which held an emotion the blonde couldn't comprehend…._'Anger…Hatred?'_

Curious to see what had caused a sudden change in the men's postures, the blonde turned her head to face the metal doors only to see three figures; two men and one woman, standing in front of the elevator. One of them was a tall, slim elderly man with long grayish-white hair which reached below his shoulders, with a similar beard reaching his upper chest and a mustache which blended along with the beard. He wore a neutral expression as he stared on ahead, at the red-haired man behind the blonde.

The other man was as tall and muscular as Igneel. He had short grey hair while his dark brown eyes were covered by frame-less glasses.

Both the men were adorned in business suits and held a stern look to them.

The woman, who stood beside them, wore spectacles and had shoulder-length black hair. She wore a pale green halter top which exposed her belly-button, paired up with a pale-pinkish pencil skirt which reached up to her knees, fastened around her waist with a bright yellow button. She wore a knee-length white lab coat decorated with hot pink buttons. High-heeled white pumps and a white Boss of the Plains hat, the crown of which was shaped similar to that of cat ears, completed her look.

The slim man stepped forwards, with smug look on his face…

"Hello Igneel"

* * *

><p>'<em>Gosh….! That was so embarrassing'<em>

The blonde heaved out a depressed sigh as she stared out through the windows of the white Toyota Auris. She was currently travelling back to her apartment, in the car provided by the company.

She felt a small warmth creeping onto her cheeks as she remembered the events that happened earlier. Closing her eyes, she ran a hand over her face, '_There goes my first impre-'_

"Ma'am?"

Broken out of her thoughts, the blonde turned to look at the owner of the voice, who was holding open the door for her.

"Ma'am, we have arrived at your apartment complex.", the driver of the vehicle offered her courteous smile.

"Oh, sorry…", the blonde felt stupid for not being aware of her surroundings.

"It's alright Ma'am."

The blonde held a hand over her forehead due to sudden bright light of the afternoon sun that blinded her eyes, as she stepped out of the vehicle, "Thank you for the ride, sir", the blonde gave a polite nod and offered a weak smile.

"You're welcome Ma'am. Have a nice day!", the driver nodded with a smile, before closing the doors and returning to the driver's seat. And with that the car sped away, as the blonde watched it disappear into the traffic….

The blonde turned to walk towards the entrance of the huge apartment complex. She felt a vibration in her bag. Fishing out her phone, she unlocked it to check out the alert….

'_One message received _'

She tapped the icon to open the message and continued walking inside the complex while reading the content. The blonde rolled her eyes on seeing the sender name, a faint smile appearing across her lips.

**_To: Lucy_**

**_From: Kev_**

**_Received at 14:30p.m._**

_Hope you nailed the meeting/interview. Call me when you get back. I hope you didn't humiliate yourself, knowing how nervous you can get in these things._

_Pffft… I wish I was there to record your expressions… _

_Anyways…. I hope you're all set for the job and all. And I hope you make some friends there._

_Speaking of friends…. I wonder how your roommates will be like. I hope they treat you nice. If they don't, you tell me and I will give 'em a whooping._

_:)_

_But you don't have to worry about them for the next few days, since they won't be back until the next week, I suppose?_

_Call me when you're back…_

_Your awesome bro_

_Kevin_

_O:)_

The blonde couldn't help it as soon as she read the sentence….

'_How __**will**__ my roommates be like?'_

The thought had suddenly entered the blonde's mind without her knowing. A small wave of nervousness hit her. She took a deep breath to calm herself….

'_At least they won't be back until next week…_'

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't realize she had reached the elevator doors. Snapping out of her thoughts, the blonde took a moment to decide while letting out a small hum.

'_Hmm….. I'm not hungry now…. So, I don't think I'm gonna use the lift. And there is no point in rushing to the apartment, when no one's there and I can also kill time this way …..Besides, I was looking for some sort of outlet for burning out my calories. And I can always use the lift from any floor when I feel tired…'_

Suddenly, a smirk appeared across her lips, '_Hmm…Let's see if you've still got it in you, shall we..?'_

With that, the blonde turned to open the door that led to the stairways….

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A door opened slowly, revealing a blonde holding onto the door knob for support as she breathed heavily. Strands of blonde hair stuck to her sweaty forehead, her tote bag hanging loosely off her shoulders, while her head was lowered as she tried to catch her breath.

'_Ah, that wasn't so bad. Was it?...Still need work on that stamina, though…. Not the same as before…. But you've still got it in you_'. Still panting, the blonde let out a low satisfied chuckle while she mentally patted herself on the back for managing to sprint up 20 flights of stairs without stopping for a break.

Now, she was feeling worn out and was in dire need of a bath, feeling disgusted with all sweat layering her body which made her clothes stick to her like second skin. Her body was sore from all the running and her jet lag was only making her tiredness worse. '_Gosh… I feel so tired…. Must. Get. Inside. Now'_

With the last ounce of strength left, she dragged herself to her apartment door. Opening her bag, she plunged her hands in to fish out her keys. Wearily shuffling her hands in the bag, she muttered a few curses when she couldn't find them, a tick mark beginning to appear on her forehead. She gritted her teeth, '_Gah… stupid, __**stupid **__**keys**__… Hiding in God knows where… When I get my hands on you…..', _irritated sigh escaped her lips, while her senseless mind started thinking of rubbish ways to torture her keys as if they were living things….

After minutes of searching, she finally found them, an irritated groan escaping her lips. Eagerly pulling them out of her bag, she made to insert it into the keyhole. As if the keys had a mind of their own, they slipped out of her grasp at the last minute, as if to irritate her more, landing on the floor with a jingling sound that echoed throughout the empty hall.

The blonde swore that if she gritted her teeth a little more they would crack and pop out of their gums, leaving her toothless. Taking a deep breath to calm her raging nerves, she bent down and swiftly grabbed the keys with last ounce of strength left in her. Rising up, she made to position the key into the keyhole, while about to place her free hand on the door knob.

She immediately retracted her hands as if someone had zapped her body, while a gasp escaped her lips on seeing the knob turn on its own….She felt adrenaline course through her veins, as she felt her heart beat wildly in her chest, while the blonde thought of all sorts of horror that could be on other side of the door.

Her eyes widened, another gasp escaping her lips, as the door opened fully….

"Welcome home, Lucy!"

* * *

><p><strong>Thus her life begins…..<strong>

**I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. **

**Gosh, I've been working hard on this chapter for more than a week now…especially the humour. I tried my best to explain the humour part. So please tell me what you think about it…..**

**PLEASE tell me about what you thought of this chapter and humour here. And also about the company name….I hope you all got what the name meant…**

**I know this story is going slower than you guys want it to be. But I just made this story in a way as one's life would occur naturally... Hope you all can bear with me…**

**Please feel free to let me know of your suggestions and ideas. **

**And do let me know if there where any errors, since i took a lot of time in rereading and did so many rewriting at certain parts, that i may have missed out on the errors...**

**Thank you for your time.**

**Arigatou**


	8. Chapter 8: The depth of feelings

**Hello readers**

**I am so sorry for the late update. **

**I want to thank all those who reviewed my previous chapter. I also want to thank all of you for your ****favorites ****and follows.**

**Not going to drag it out…..**

**IMPORTANT:****THE BOLD ITALICS IN THE SCENE TO THE LAST OF THIS CHAPTER IS NATSU'S THOUGHTS.**

**DISCLAIMER:****I do not own Fairy Tail. It Belongs to Hiro Mashima sensei.**

**But the OCs are mine..**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Previously:<span>**

_"…__..To come up with a strategy as __**ingenious**__ as that, and that too, in less than a __**day**__… I've got to say…. I'm quite __**impressed**__. I mean, not any one of our programmers including our __**best**__ ones who were at it for three days, or even those who came from all over, could come up with a plan this…this…__**brilliant**__!…..", _

_"…__. I can't help saying this…but... Hats off to you, …..",_

_"…__Your parents must be very proud of you"_

_ '__More like __**parent**__…..'_

_._

_._

_._

_"…__. But know this Ms. Heartfilia. We __**do**__ promote employees based on their performance, and your promotion would be no exception. I __**will**__ promote you when the time comes and as we see fit. Am I clear, Ms. Heartfilia?"_

_._

_._

_"…__There is more to this company than meets the eye…"_

_._

_._

_, "I __**really**__ can't thank you enough…. If it weren't for you, this company wouldn't be as it is now…. I am forever in your debt….. Ms. Heartfilia."_

_._

_"__If you face any difficulties here or if you need anything, __**please….please**__ don't hesitate to come to me."._

_._

_._

_._

_…__.Let that spark inside of you, grow into a beautiful flame which burns eternally in you, Lucy….And __**that**__ is the true mission that we, our company, have vowed to carry out…..to bring out in people, their __**eternal flame**__…the __**symbol**__ of our company…."_

_"…__.Welcome to Ignis Immortalis…. Lucy"_

_._

_._

_"__Can't live a day without seeing him, I see-"_

_'__I hope I make it in time…..'_

_._

_._

_._

_"__My best wishes to you Ms. Heartfilia. I have faith in you…."_

_"__I won't let you down sir."_

_"__I look forward to meet with you again, Ms. Heartfilia_

_"__Me too sir"_

_._

_"__Sir, Mr. Acnologia called up an hour before. He told me to inform you that your father has arranged for a meeting with some __**important**__ guests at 02:00 p.m, this afternoon. He and your father will be arriving here shortly along with the guests."_

_._

_._

_"__Very well then. But…. you have to have lunch with me someday, you __**hear**__ me, young lady?"_

_._

_._

_'__Almost the-'_

_._

_._

_._

_'__I HOPE SHE DOESN'T CHANGE HER MIND….!'_

_._

_._

_._

_'__I could get lost in them…'_

_._

_._

_'__Am I dreaming… ?'_

_"__NATSU! YOU BRAT! YOU JUST CAN'T KEEP YOU HANDS WITH YOU, __**CAN YOU**__? I ONLY THOUGHT YOU WERE LIKE THIS ONLY AT __**NIGHT AT THE CLUB**__. BUT NOW IN THE MORNING TOO! AND THAT TOO, __**HERE **__ON ONE OF OUR __**EMPLOYEES**__?!"_

_._

_._

_"__WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING BOY?!"_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_"__Hello Igneel"_

_._

_._

_'__Gosh….! That was so embarrassing'_

_._

_._

_._

_'__How __**will**__ my roommates be like?'_

_ '__At least they won't be back until next week…'_

_._

_._

_._

_, 'Gah… stupid, __**stupid **__**keys**__… Hiding in God knows where… When I get my hands on you…..',_

_._

_._

_._

_"__Welcome home, Lucy!"_

* * *

><p><strong><span>IMPORTANT: Just to be clear<span> **

"Speech"

'_Thoughts' _

_'__Thoughts in dream'_

_Flashback _

**_'_****_Natsu's thoughts'_**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER VIII<strong>

**…****.The depth of feelings, the strength of bonds….**

* * *

><p>A loud shriek erupted, echoing throughout the long desolate hall, even before the short gleeful greeting could end …..<p>

Body twisted to her right and one hand fisted in front of her chest, gripping the keys in them, the owner of the shriek retracted her right hand above her head, gripping the sling of her tote bag, about to bring it down on the horror that had opened the door….

"WOAH….WOAH…_WOAH_… ! _KEEP_ YOUR PANTIES _ON_, MISSY!"

A gasp mixed with a squeak erupted from within the apartment.

The sudden booming but slurry voice of a female made the blonde freeze immediately, '_What the hell?!', _resulting in the tote bag to painfully smack the backside of her head from the sudden momentum. Wincing in the process, her blank mind now started taking in the figure in front of her…. '_Who the __**hell**__ is she?!'_

Standing in the doorway to her apartment, was a tall, slim brunette, with a frown marring her face, eyes half-lidded in irritation at the blonde who was now rubbing the sore part of her head, her tote bag now lowered to her side, while trying to figure out who the brunette was.

Suddenly the blonde's eyes widened a little, as everything clicked in her head, '_But… I thought they wouldn't be back for…. a… week-'._

Her thoughts immediately faded away as her mind registered the way the brunette had her body twisted to the side, her arms crossed in front of her body as if she was hugging something….. more like _protecting…_what seemed to be a long brown glass bottle in her arms from the blonde's undelivered blow, as if it was her child.

"U-Uh…", the blonde sweat-dropped as she took a step back, '_Is it me or is she angry that I tried to smack her stupid beer bottle-'_

"OOF!"

Startled out of her thoughts, the blonde brought her attention back to the brunette who had now straightened her posture, still staring at the blonde with half-lidded eyes, the annoyed expression still marring her slightly pink face.

The blonde frowned, '_I thought.. I heard-'_

Squeaky noises sounded which made the blonde shift her gaze from the brunette to the source.

Her eyes widened in shock which then turned into a strained expression. Clamping her mouth shut, she sucked in a breath in order to prevent a laugh from escaping, as she tried hard to maintain a neutral expression on her face for fear of offending the people in front of her.

The squeaks came from what the blonde made out to be a blue blob which was currently protruding from the side of the brunette...

From the noises and movements, the blonde realized that the blob was struggling to squeeze its way out with all the effort it could muster.…but the brunette stood rooted to her spot, posing dramatically with one arm resting on her hip and the other arm swinging the beer bottle, taking up most of the space in the doorway as if she owned it.

"GAH!"

The blob finally succeeded, shooting out in a blur and coming to a stop in front of the now startled blonde who was able to make out the blob clearly now.

The blue blob was a rather petite woman of slender build, height reaching up to the blonde's eyes. She had blue shoulder-length straight hair with bangs framing her face perfectly, while the rest of her hair was held back by a yellow bandana which contrasted her hair color perfectly.

Clad in an orange tank top and white shorts, the petite girl whose head was currently lowered, tried to fix her disheveled hair and straighten out her attire which got wrinkled due to her struggle, while mumbling incoherent curses at the brunette, the reason for her earlier struggle now forgotten.

A faint blush tinted the blonde's cheeks, '_Cute_'.

The bluenette froze on catching sight of the tip of a woman's boots from her peripheral vision, immediately becoming aware of the blonde's presence.

Looking up slowly, a gasp escaped the bluenette's lips as her hazel eyes shined with happiness and excitement on seeing the blonde, a contagious smile and a faint blush adorning the petite woman's face.

"Wow! You-"

"YA DAMN _PYGMY_! YOU ALMOST MADE ME DROP MY _BOTTLE_!"

The bluenettes's expression turned into a scowl, a tick mark appearing on her forehead, as she swiftly turned to face the brunette with a small growl.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PYGMY, YOU FREAKING _DRUNKARD_!"

"WHY YOU-"

A ding echoed throughout the hallway, interrupting the women. Snapping their heads towards the direction of the elevator, their faces immediately paled.

The blonde frowned, '_Huh, why the sudden chan-'_

"WHAT'S ALL THE RUCKUS GOING ON HERE?! I COULD HEAR YOU TWO _EVEN _FROM INSIDE THE _ELEVATOR_!"

Snapping her head sideways, the blonde let out a faint squeak as her eyes widened to that of saucers when they landed upon the mountain pile of luggage which was clearly visible even at the far end of the hallway, almost touching the ceiling!

The stern loud voice made the two women respond to the owner of the voice with a cheery "Nothing".

As soon as the figure neared them, a faint blush coated the blonde's cheeks as her eyes landed upon the slender figure of a woman, clad in a white top with puff sleeves and ruffles at her huge chest, paired up with a blue skirt and black knee-length boots.

But what caught the blonde's eye was the vibrant scarlet hair cascading down the woman's back, making her stand out from the group. '_Wow…'_

The awe on the blonde's face immediately replaced with dread as soon as her eyes caught the stern look reflecting from the redhead's brown ones directed at the two shuddering women who were currently sweating bullets.

Seeing the shaking women, the blonde felt her body go stiff, '_Such reaction… She really must be something….Scary'_

The blonde watched the bluenette step forward, putting on a wavering smile on her face in attempt to mask her dread, "Got all yo-"

"Don't try to change the subject. You thought I wouldn't know of the commotion you guys caused at the airport?! Even though the authorities have pardoned you doesn't mean that I will let you off the hook that easy….."

Confusion marred the blonde's features, '_I wonder wha-'_

"Cana.", the brunette who was currently about to take a gulp of beer behind the redhead, flinched, spilling the contents of the now tilted bottle on her face , "….we barely landed about an hour ago and you already reek of alcohol….."

"Levy..", the blunette jumped with an 'Eeek', "…If you can't return your books in time, then don't rent them. Hilda-obaachan called me up earlier complaining that most of the bookshelves are empty. And for God's sake Levy, repair your cell phone or buy a new one. Hilda-obaachan, your parents and even _I_ tried your cell, only to get sent straight to voice mail!..."

"….I just leave you guys for a brief moment and you two _had_ to go and let the whole state know of our arrival…."

Lowering her head, the redhead closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Geez you guys are all so troublesome….", she heaved out an exasperated sigh, "…..anyway, I won't say anything today."

The blonde sweat-dropped, '_You already said enough!'_

"Um, Everyone..?"

The women turned their heads to look at the source.

Standing behind the brunette in the doorway was a slender curvaceous figure of a young woman with blue hair that fell in thick waves past her shoulders wearing a dark blue sleeveless polo neck dress that reached up to her mid-thigh, paired up with blackish brown thigh high socks.

Her dark blue eyes held a nervous glint to them and her pale skin tinted with a faint blush, while she clasped her hands behind her back, "J-Juvia is happy that everyone is reunited, but… Juvia thinks… it is rude for everyone to ignore.. Lucy-san?"

Eyes widening as realization hit them hard, the women immediately snapped their heads toward the said blonde who suddenly jumped at the attention on her, as sweat started to appear on her forehead, '_Crap!'_

Swallowing hard, the blonde lifted a shaky hand while giving off a nervous smile, directing a short sheepish wave towards the women…

"U-Um…H-Hi?"

* * *

><p><em>'<em>_I'd rather be alone with the old man listening to him ranting about his escapades with mom than be in this __**hellish hole **__with 'Lord Hades' and his allies!'_

Gritting his teeth, the pink-haired man tried hard to hide the tick mark from being visible on his forehead. '_Moreover…', _he felt like wanting to pull his hair off,

_'…__..WHY THE HELL DID I HAVE TO GET DRAGGED INTO THIS AS WELL?!'_

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to control himself from running out of the room, while he replayed the events that happened earlier, in his mind….

.

.

* * *

><p>Not too long ago in the morning did he succeed in taking his mind off the mystery blonde, only to have his face ricochet back to the warm blushing self as soon as his eyes landed upon the owner of that <em>'sweet' <em>scent.

Pink coated his cheeks yet _again,_ as he saw himself sprinting back to his dad's office to confirm that he _did_ see the blonde, only to end up _sweeping up_ the very same blonde off her feet into a 'love slide' he would never forget. And now he was pretty sure that the woman would run away screaming 'bloody murder', even at the sight of a slight shade of _salmon._

Yet he felt his suspicions weren't confirmed as he found himself lost in those hazel depths, thus making him silently wish, '_I never want to wake up'._

But _noooooo….._ His so-called grandfather _had_ to just creep in from the shadows like that woman from 'The Grudge' and wake him up to reality.

Not wanting to stay there any longer, he got up and turned around, about to leave the scene when his grandfather _had _to open his ghostly lips, "_Aren't you going to join us boy? After all, you are the __**guest of **__**honor**__**. **__It would be a shame if your father was the only one present…"_

Not wanting to insult his father, he took a deep calming breath and turned back to face his 'grandfather' while maintaining a poker face and replied back with the same sarcastic tone. "_Wouldn't miss it for the world.."_. Both of them stared at each other not even blinking once as a heavy atmosphere settled upon the group. Not one of the people in the vicinity dared to talk…..

Distant footsteps echoing throughout the corridor dissipated the tension in the atmosphere momentarily.

"Well, well, well. Looks like I've arrived just in time to join in on the fun. Eh?"

Natsu grimaced at the voice he had come to hate over the years, '_Great…All that is left to do now is to wait for the __**Apocalypse**__!'_

The tall muscular man stepped forward and extended his hand, "Good to see you, Mr. Acnologia."

"Good to see you too Lapointe and I would really appreciate it if you just call me by name. It's just us here.", the raven-haired accepted his hand.

The grey-haired man merely nodded.

"I see you have already met my father, Mr. Faust?", Acnologia waved his hand over to the slim old man who simply nodded towards the grey-haired man.

"Yes, your father is the one who received me at the lobby."

"Oh, that's good.. This..", the raven-haired man tilted his body to the side and gestured over to the red-haired man, "..is my brother, Igneel Dragneel, the Director and the owner of this company. Igneel, this is Lapointe, The Director of- "

Igneel stepped forward and extended his hand, " 'Silent Capriccio' Communications. I know. Nice to meet you, Mr. Lapointe."

The grey-haired man responded with a curt nod , "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Igneel."

"And now, for the one you have been waiting for..", Acnologia moved a little to the side to reveal Natsu who flinched with the sudden attention, "….Igneel's one and only… Natsu Dragneel."

Lapointe made his way towards to the pink-haired man who accepted the hand that was stretched out to him for a shake, "It's a great pleasure to meet you Mr. Natsu.", the man gave a very faint smile, "…. Let me introduce you to my daughter…", the man stepped back and gestured to the raven-haired bespectacled woman, who until this time was watching the whole situation with a bored expression on her face, "….Daphne."

At the mention of her name, the woman straightened her posture, while she adjusted the spectacles on her face by its temples, the glass reflecting the ceiling lights on doing so….giving the woman a crooked look..

Natsu raised a brow at the grey-haired man, '_What the-…He sounds as if he is trying to hook me up with her or something!'_

And so did Igneel, '_What is going on here? Why is he introducing his daughter to Natsu, rather than all of us..?'_

The woman made her way over to the pink-haired man, grabbed his hand even before he could register what was happening and shook it with a grip not so firm, not so soft, but just enough to give one goosebumps, though Natsu felt creeped out.

"Ah, finally… we meet at last…", a sexy smile adorned the woman's face as her eyes bore into Natsu, who was startled, '_Finally..?'_

He yanked his hand from the woman's grip, and turned to face his father, "Wha-"

"Why don't we all continue this in the personal lounge of the company. Mmm?", the raven-haired cut off the pink haired man, as he gestured everyone towards the said room, which was at the far end of the corridor.

Everyone murmured an agreement, as they strode towards the room….

Not wanting to walk along with the irksome group, the pink-haired man held back in order to walk behind the group. When the group was far enough, he made to trudge towards the lounge room, burying half his face into his scarf while shoving his hands into his pockets.

A scent tingled his nostrils, and he found himself burying his nose further into his scarf while unconsciously closing his eyes…

'_Sweet…..'_

His eyes snapped open on realization. He immediately turned to look at the deserted elevator area, a slight frown marring his features….

"What's wrong, Natsu?"

Turning back, he saw the concerned face of his father a little further away for him.

"Nothing…."

Heaving a heavy sigh, he dragged his feet towards his impending doom….

'_Another dream, huh..?'_

_._

_._

* * *

><p>And now, here he was….in the vast room, lazily leaning back in the single black couch, at the far corner, which he had opted as soon as he entered the lounge, in order to make himself as invisible as possible. He had his nose still buried in his scarf, arms crossed over his chest, eyes half-lidded in boredom while lazily dragging them across the room in search of something…<em>interesting<em>. The 'sweet' scent was the only thing that was currently preventing him from going haywire….

The lounge was built especially for _private_ meetings such as these, and was a very large room furnished with number of single black couches and a glass coffee table in the center. A number of newspapers, you name it, for different sections, even for sports, were neatly laid out on it.

While his annoying 'uncle' and his grey-haired business friend _and_ _unfortunately_ his father conversed in matters involving their business world, which the pink-haired man had long ago drowned out, his slim dementor of a 'grandfather' silently observed them.

Natsu sighed for the umpteenth time as he lowered his head a little more, so that his bangs covered his face…. Slowly his mind drifted off again, '_But I am pretty sure that it wasn't a dream or why else would I be on the ground?... But…. if it wasn't a dream…. why didn't I see the girl? Ugh, that blood-sucking phantom __**had **__to slither in. I didn't even get to ask her name..!'_

He felt a cold shiver run down his spine, as he felt eyes on him. Shifting his eyes just a little to find the source, he cringed a little as they landed upon the raven-haired woman who was staring at him….more like drinking in each and every inch of his body, sending shivers of disgust down his spine.

He quickly averted his gaze to the floor in search of something…._anything…_ to ward off the feeling, '_Quick…..Think of something distracting…funny..yeah…funny…Uh…hmm…putting loads of salt in Erza's cake…', _another shudder ran down his spine as his eyes widened, '…_no..no..no you idiot….think of something __**funny..not gory!**__...', _a light bulb went off in his head, as a smirk made its way to his lips, '_…..Popsicle in tutu!…, yes…yes…'_

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the woman cross her exposed leg over the other, facing his direction. Natsu had to hold back a snort of disgust, '_Ha…She has to try better than that….Women are all the same. Why is she near me anyway when there were other couches near __**them**__? Ugh!'_

Now he _really_ wanted to run out of the room while pulling his hair out, screaming 'bloody murder'.

In attempt to calm his raging nerves, he tried to divert his attention back to the men in the front.

"My, my Igneel, I thought of you to be more of a… '_be-prepared-an-hour-early' _type.". the pink-haired man gritted his teeth at the sickly sweet voice of his 'uncle' and held back a snort, '_Is that the best he can come up with?!'_.

"Oh. Pardon me but I didn't know you were more of a '_let-them-know-at-the-last-minute' _ type, _Brother.", _the red-haired gritted his teeth while giving off a sickly sweet smile.

A faint smile tugged at the pink-haired man's lips, '_Woot! You go old man!...'. _But the smile immediately faded, '_Wait….That's even __**worse**__ than that Acnologia's…!', _Natsu wanted to bang his head on the table right now.

"And I've never seen a son who can't live a day without seeing his father. I _envy _you Igneel..", Acnologia wore a fake amazement on his face.

"That's Natsu for you. At least he is not like _your_ son who always infects others with his dark _vibe_!", the red-haired man kept a poker face on as he stared straight into the cold blue eyes of his raven-haired brother.

Before the raven-haired man could retort, someone cleared his throat making the brothers go stiff as everyone directed their attention towards the slim old man.

"Let's get to the matter, shall we?", the man who currently had his eyes closed, opened them to direct a ice-cold glare towards his two sons for a split-second before nodding towards the raven-haired man.

Igneel and Natsu, whose face was by now completely out of his scarf, looked confused, '_What's going on?'_

The raven-haired man nodded back, a serious expression now adorning his face, "Well, I suppose you two..", he directed his gaze upon Igneel and Natsu, "….don't know why we called for a meeting suddenly, do you?"

Igneel and Natsu didn't respond as a frown marred their faces, '_This better be something good.'_

Acnologia took their silence as his cue to continue, "Very well then..."

He took a deep breath before continuing, "Father has been talking to me about expanding this company, for some time, since it is the 'heart and soul' of our entire family empire. And by expanding, he means '_to collaborate_' with another company, thus creating a whole new perspective for this company. It was around that time, Mr. Lapointe here…", he gestured towards the grey-haired man who nodded in return, "…..came forward with the proposition of integrating 'Silent Capriccio' Communications with Ignis Immortalis.

And I have known Mr. Lapointe for quite a few years. So I...I mean we…", the raven-haired man gestured his hand over to his father, "…considered it and came to a decision of accepting it. It will be like turning over a new leaf for the company…Don't you think?", the raven-haired man clasped his hands together, an unattractive smile on his face.

By now Natsu was more confused, '_But what does this got to do with me?!'_

Keeping his mouth shut, Igneel still maintained a poker face as he looked on at his brother, '_There is aaaalways a '__**But'**__…'_

Seeing his brother keeping silent, '_My brother knows me well…',_ he suppressed his smile from turning into a smirk and glanced at the grey-haired man who nodded for him to continue.

Turning his face to look at the father and son he breathed out, "But on the condition…"

Natsu's face started to slowly contort into a grim one.

And so did Igneel's, '_I knew it…!'_

"…..that… Natsu agrees to accepts his daughter, 's…. hand in marriage…."

Natsu's eyes widened as his breath hitched in his throat. His heart throbbed painfully as dread filled inside of him. His mind went completely blank as soon as the words left the raven-haired man's mouth. He felt like the world around him stop….

Igneel's eyes went wide as his mouth fell open slightly. Anger started to build inside him, as he felt his heart beat faster.

He was momentarily snapped out of his trance when the grey-haired man suddenly rose up from the couch with a mobile in his hand, "Please excuse me gentlemen, but I need to attend this real quick", with that he left the room in a haste, placing the device to his ear.

Awkward silence filled the room as a heavy atmosphere started to settle upon the men….

No one dared to open their mouths….not at least until their guests have left, for everyone knew that if anyone dared to huff out _even a breath_…. all hell would break lose…and they didn't want to do it in front of the director of one of the most reputed companies and his daughter, who was _still_ in the room!

By now, Igneel had his hands curled into fists and was taking deep breaths to calm himself which was proving futile at the moment.

The door opened revealing Lapointe. "I'm sorry gentlemen, but I'm afraid I must take my leave in order to attend an important meeting regarding a business deal….". Everyone rose from their seats.

"Oh, such a shame. Well, it was nice to see you again..", a smile adorned Acnologia's face as he extended his hand towards Lapointe who accepted it and shook it, "Me too.."

"Thank you again for meeting up with me, Mr. Faust.", he extended his hand towards the slim old man, who nodded and shook his hand in return.

Lapointe turned his head to face Igneel, "Rest assured Mr. Igneel. I don't expect you to answer right away. Take your time. After all, it is regarding not only the future of our companies, but also our only children as well. So take as much time as you need…", extending his hand to the red-haired man who accepted and shook it while trying hard not to take his anger out on the man's hand. "….And thank you for meeting up with us on such short notice…."

Igneel couldn't answer at all, as his throat was dry. So he resorted to nodding his head in reply and tried to smile at the man which was painful for him at the moment.

"…..and ….", Lapointe strode towards the pink-haired man, "…It was a pleasure to have finally met you…", the grey-haired grabbed his hand and shook it firmly.

Natsu just stood there, his face void of emotions as he looked at the man in front of him and faintly nodded in reply, "…I expect a positive reply from your side…".

The grey-haired man glanced at his daughter who was watching the scene play in front of her with amusement, "…Come along Daphne…", the man turned to walk towards the Acnologia and Faust.

The woman strutted towards the pink-haired man and whispered….more like purred… in his ear, "Can't wait to meet you again…..Natsu…", the woman gave a seductive giggle as she brushed her shoulders lightly against his and followed her father who was having a last minute talk with the men at front.

"My assistant Rustyrose will escort you back to your car. And it was a pleasure to meet you Ms. Daphne. Take care.", with that Acnologia shook hands with Lapointe one last time before opening the door for the grey-haired man and his raven-haired daughter, revealing a fairly tall lanky gentleman who had his silver colored hair in pompadour style and wearing a black suit and silver designer glasses over his eyes.

Acnologia stepped forward, "Ah, Rusty we were just talking about you. All set?"

"Everything is ready sir.", the man stepped back to let guests outside.

"Well…Have a safe journey Lapointe. You too, Ms. Daphne..", Acnologia offered a smile and a curt nod towards the guests who nodded in return.

The assistant stepped forward, "Allow me to escort you…" and with that the man started to walk towards the elevator at the far end of the hall with the guests in tow, while Acnologia watched their retreating figures.

.

.

.

Inside the room, a dark heavy atmosphere began to settle in again. The slim old man watched his raven-haired son at the door seeing off their guests.

Natsu hadn't moved an inch, his arms limp at his sides, blankly looking at the ground, eyes half-lidded and wavering. He felt so dead inside as thoughts started to run through his mind…

**'****_Why do I feel so…. empty inside…?'_**

Igneel stood still, his expression dark, fists clenched at his sides, trying hard not to shake too much from the rage building inside him.

**_'_****_It's not like… I have something to look forward to in my life….'_**

Acnologia entered the room with a content expression on his face, "Well, that went well-"

"Why wasn't I told about this?", maintaining his gaze on the floor, Igneel was trying hard not to lash out on his brother, while he kept his voice barely above a whisper…

**'****_…_****_Of all times….why now…?'_**

But Acnologia heard him nonetheless and pretended to act innocent, "Tell you about what?"

**'…****_..when I've given up everything I had…..a long time ago…'_**

"You _damn well know_ what I'm talking about?", Igneel hissed, clenching his fists more to keep him from shaking.

**_'_****_When all along, my younger self wondered why my 'cousins' _****_wouldn't_****_come near me…. when I reached out to them…'_**

"Oh…", the raven-haired raised his brows in fake realization, "…Are you referring to… the _proposition?_"

By now Igneel was gritting his teeth so hard and his face was slowly turning red…

**_'…_****_and all along I thought, it was something I did that they _****_didn't_****_speak to me….'_**

Acnologia chuckled, "…You, of all people, know better than to reject a proposition that would benefit the company to a great extent!"

"Well, this is not _just_ a proposition we're talking about, _are we_?", Igneel directed his cold gaze towards the raven-haired man.

**_'…_****_..but I would always be there for them when they came to me…..'_**

"No..! I thought I made it clear to you about Lapointe's term of agreement..!", the raven-haired raised a brow towards his red-haired brother, in fake confusion.

Igneel's voice rose a bit louder, "That's _exactly _what I'm talking about!"

**_ '…_****_..I've never felt this cold…when my relatives wrinkled their faces when they look at me….like I was some rotten leper….'_**

"Eh? You and _above all", _Acnoligia gestured towards Natsu, "your _son_ should be grateful that Lapointe himself has chosen _him_ as his _only _daughter's suitor, knowing the… '_circumstances'._"

"Are you implying that _my_ son isn't _worthy_ of being loved?!...That _no one_ will accept him for who _he_ is?!", veins began bulging on the side of Igneel's forehead.

**_ '_****_I've never felt this numb…..'_**

Acnologia raised his hands to either side and shrugged, "All I am saying is that you shouldn't let such a life-changing opportunity to pass you by…",

**_'…_****_when realization hit me like a knife to the heart… in my childhood itself….'_**

"… Not that our company is lower than Lapointe's company or anything, but…..I mean, partnering up with the 'Silent Capriccio' Communications which holds an almost equal reputation as this company, is once in a life time opportunity. And one _marriage_ shouldn't affect that decision of yours."

"It's not just _any_ marriage we're talking about…! We're talking about Natsu's _future_ for God'sake! And you people just _dismiss it as it is of no big deal!_", Igneel was trying hard to maintain his tone.

**_'…_****_..that I was no more than a mere tool to my 'family' when needed….'_**

"But if him marrying, means the flourishing of our empire, then we should definitely accept the proposal…..", Acnologia stated as a matter of fact.

**_'…_****_and a pest which should be killed immediately if in their way…'_**

The raven-haired man's expression suddenly turned a little grim, "…..and you know that father will take no for an answer, especially if it is in regard to the company's prosperity….and therefore that of our empire's…"

**_'…_****_But when I felt lost…. Igneel found me….'_**

"He's not some _tool _which you can use to get what you want and then throw away!", the red-haired man hissed.

**_'…_****_I…. never felt alone…. because Igneel never allowed me to…'_**

"Why are you getting worked up over some petty boy-"

"HE'S _NOT_ SOME PETTY BOY! HE'S MY _SON_, GOD DAMMIT!", Igneel's last string of self-control snapped.

Acnologia kept calm, as he kept his gaze on Igneel, "Only for eighteen years, Igneel…Bear that in mind…"

**_'_****_Although, my time spent with him was less…..'_**

Igneel lowered his face towards the ground, his face hidden under his ruby colored hair and gave out a low chuckle, "That's where you're wrong…. I might have been with him for only eighteen years…."

**_'…_****_the memories we shared….. brought us closer….'_**

"…..but it's the memories that we have shared with each other, that brings us closer together…."

**_'_****_I saw what it meant to be 'family' through their eyes…..'_**

"….We don't need _genes_….to say whether we are related or not...", Igneel raised his head, his pride and love-filled eyes meeting with that of Acnologia's neutral ones,

**_'…_****_but Igneel taught me otherwise….'_**

"… It's the depth of feelings we have for each other, wielded by _our_ _hearts_ that shows the bond we share…"

Acnologia scoffed, "I see that the boy has filled you with his idiocy-"

"ENOUGH!"

Both the men snapped their attention towards the slim old man, who during the whole time had been silently listening his sons' argue while sitting on the couch, currently glaring at them.

"I will _not_ waste _any_ more of my time listening to you two spitting out nonsense..."

Rising up from the couch, the man directed his gaze towards the raven-haired man, "…you should know better than to waste my time, drawling out a conversation like that…"

**_'…_****_I've never felt so unwanted when Faust made it clear to me that I didn't belong with them…'_**

The man then snapped his attention to his red-haired son and hissed , "..I suggest you think over this proposition _thoroughly_ before spouting insolence, _arguing_ over the matter of some boy's marriage, which doesn't deserve this much time…"

**_'…_****_Everyone claimed that I would be a disgrace to the family…._**

**_…_****_But he never let me go….'_**

Igneel was trying hard not to raise his voice at his father, but failed when it ended up in a hiss, "This is Natsu's marriage we are talking about. And for God's sake, he is _24 years old_! It is _his_ decision-"

"_That_ boy has done _nothing_ but tarnish the name of the family-"

"Tarnish? _Tarnish_?..", Igneel looked at his father incredulously, "… If anything, he only tried hard to impress _you people. _But all you people ever did was _push_ _him_ down further…"

**_'…_****_...When everyone blamed me for everything I did…. Igneel was the only one who always supported me…._**

**_…_****_The only one who stood by me and faced everything… with me….'_**

The old man scoffed, "Impress? That boy has been _nothing_ but trouble ever since he was a small fry-"

"_He __**never**__ had a childhood because of you. So don't tell me he brought trouble when all along you caused him __**nothing**__ but pain_.", Igneel's pupils had practically turned to slits, his voice, dangerously low.

The old man still maintained a stern expression, "The future of the company and our empire is what matters most and I will _not_ allow any boy to hinder its progress."

**_'…_****_He taught me everything I know….'_**

"The _company_ wouldn't be as it is now, if it weren't for this 'boy'", the red-haired man pointed at his pink-haired son.

"From what _I've_ heard, it was 'the mysterious code-breaker' who saved this company and _not_ _him_.", the old man glared at Igneel.

**_'…_****_..I'm everything I am today…. because of that old man…'_**

Igneel smirked, "The _'__mysterious code-breaker_' wouldn't have gotten the chance if _Natsu_ hadn't stepped in, when one of _your_ programmers messed up the code, thereby reducing the deadline to _one day_!"

The old man grew tired of the conversation, "I will not waste _any more_ of my time arguing with you over some _boy's_ life. I expect a positive answer from you and I need it _at_ the earliest."

**_'…_****_That old man is the only family I have….'_**

Igneel felt like his blood was boiling and his heart was pounding in his chest with rage on hearing the words from his father's mouth, "Nothing else matters to me than family. And Natsu's decision is my top priority".

**_'…_****_The only one….who saw me….as his own….'_**

The old man hissed, "I don't _care_ about any _brat's _decision-"

Igneel jerked his thumb to himself, "Only _ I _get to call him that. And he's _my son._ Not some _toy_ which you can toss around for your own needs.", Igneel's eyes glinted with possessiveness and love for his son.

**_'…_****_I will not allow….my dad….to lower his head because of me… in front of Faust….or Acnologia…or anyone….'_**

Taken aback by his son retort, the old man's eyes widened in fury, "I will _not_ tolerate such behavior from you, Igneel. Do you hear-"

"Well, bear with it! Natsu has _every_ right to decide what is _right_ for him and what is not. And I will respect his decision _even_ if it means the downfall of this company or the _whole_ empire. _His_ decision is all _I_ care."

**_'…_****_..Not this time….'_**

By now, Faust was fuming with rage, _"You will go to such extent for such an insolent brat!"_

**_'…_****_.and for that…..'_**

Igneel took a step forward, as words dripped out of his mouth like venom _"I don't care if the whole empire blows up. I don't __**care**__ if you hate me. But I won't stand __**one minute**__ of you insulting __**my**__ son-"_

"I...accept…"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's a wrap.<strong>

**Ugh… I reread my previous chapter, just to see how my writing skills were... I mean, it has been a while so, I thought to 'grade' myself. And I thought the ****humor****part would get me laughing. But…**

**Anyways…If anyone is still confused on Lord Hades and his 'allies'. Natsu's grandfather's name is Faust, the former king of Edolas in the anime. Here, he is the father of Acnologia and Igneel and hence the grandfather of Natsu. **

**Lapointe is Acnologia's ally. And just so you know, he served as the cardinal of the Zentopia church, in the 'Key of Starry heavens arc' in the anime. Daphne is his daughter, and is the one who appeared in the 'Daphne Arc'.**

**Rustyrose is the member of the Grimoire Heart in the anime. Here he is the assistant of Acnologia.**

**In the previous chapter, I had to change the description of the tall muscular man which has been revealed here as Lapointe. **

**The Hades mentioned here is not that of Fairy Tail, but of the Greek God of Underworld, and here Natsu refers to his 'grandfather'.**

**On further note… I have been having ideas for some new stories for Fairy Tail. But of different genre. And it will be NALU of course. But, I was thinking of trying a new writing style there. Well, what do you guys think? Should I write a new story(s) and what do you think of me trying a new writing style? But don't worry; I will update this story along with those. But I need all of your honest opinion…**

**MANGA RELATED: (those who haven't read the manga, don't read this… if you do, it will be a huge spoiler…)**

**NOW..ONTO FT…WHO ALL SQUEALED (SCREAMED) OUT LOUD WHEN YOU ALL SAW THE KING OF THE FIRE DRAGONS IN THE LATEST CHAPPY OF MANGA…ALL WHO DID, RAISE YOUR HANDS AND SAY 'AYE SIR'….**

**And all who didn't read it…YOU ARE MISSING THE BIGGEST AND MOST LIFE CHANGING SCENARIO GUYS… DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME… GO AND READ IT IMMEDIATELY!**

**AND NATSU..OH MY GOD..HE REALLY ****DOESN'T****KNOW HOW TO ACT ACCORDING TO SITUATIONS. I WAS LIKE, ' YOU'VE ****_GOT_****TO BE KIDDING ME. YOUR DAD IS IN THE MIDDLE OF BATTLE WITH THAT STUPID DARK DRAGON …AND HERE YOU ARE CLINGING ONTO HIM AND PESTERING HIM TO TELL YOU THE STORY…I MEAN, WE ALL WANNA KNOW…BUT SERIOUSLY…STORY TELLING…WHEN YOU ARE ON THE VERGE OF GETTING KILLED… AND WHEN IGNEEL ASKS FOR NATSU TO GET THE BOOK… NATSU WAS LIKE, 'WHAT WILL I GET IN RETURN…' AND I WAS LIKE… O.O AND FELL OFF THE CHAIR…(BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT ADMIT HE WAS SO CUTE)..BUT IF I WAS THERE I WOULD HAVE KICKED HIM TO EDOLAS….'**

**AND THE ANIME EPISODES…THE LAST TWO….OH GOSH…ERZA'S DRAWING… THE MOLE… I WAS LAUGHING MY HEAD OFF….AND I LOVED THE LAST EPISODE SO MUCH. NATSU AND LUCY WERE TOGETHER THE WHOLE TIME..YAY…**

**Phew…Now that's off my head.. hehe.. Sorry..couldn't help but let it out. If you guys feel like i shouldn't discuss my views on manga or anime in the AN, let me know. Gomene...**

**Well readers… Please forgive me for the mistakes (if any) in this chapter, and kindly let me know of them. **

**And PLEASE let me know of your opinions of me writing new stories. Then only will I know whether you guys would like me to write another one or not…**

**And if you guys also have ideas for another story and want me to write, feel free to let me know. And I will gladly reply and discuss it with you about it…**

**And also…Please feel free to share your opinions on the manga and anime…**

**Please let me know how this chapter went. I mean, it has been over a month, and I am kind of doubtful of this chapter and need your honest opinions and reviews to keep me going.**

**Thank you for your time…**

**Arigatou**


	9. Chapter 9: But still, I

**Hey guys!**

**Been a long time!**

**Sorry, got busy with studies and other stuff. To compensate for my long absence, I present this looohohohooong chapter.**

**Before I get on with this, chapter:**

**A shoutout to CelestialWizard for the PM. It really ignited a spark in me to finish writing this chapter, although it took months to get the editing done. Sorry for that..**

**DragonFairy…Thank you for your help. Without you, I would never have gotten the guts to write down the airport scene. So if you're reading this, a huge hug to you.**

**AMMiss-chaaan! Thank you for your encouragement and help with this story. Ummwahh!**

**Some terms that would help you understand the initial part of this chapter.**

**Program run****: execution of a program code to produce the output.**

**Program window****: The panel on computer used to write program code. One can write it in multiple panels.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>DISCLAIMER:<span>****I do not own Fairy Tail. It Belongs to Hiro Mashima sensei.**

**But the OCs are mine..**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Previously:<span>**

"WOAH….WOAH…_WOAH_… ! _KEEP_ YOUR PANTIES _ON_, MISSY!"

**..**

**.**

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PYGMY, YOU FREAKING _DRUNKARD_!"

_._

**.**

"J-Juvia is happy that everyone is reunited, but… Juvia thinks… it is rude for everyone to ignore.. Lucy-san?"

**.**

**.**

_._

"_Aren't you going to join us boy? After all, you are the __**guest of **__**honor**. It would be a shame if your father was the only one present…"_

"_Wouldn't miss it for the world.."_.

.

.

"Ah, finally… we meet at last…",

_._

_._

'_Another dream, huh..?'_

_._

_._

"…..It was around that time, Mr. Lapointe here….came forward with the proposition of integrating 'Silent Capriccio' Communications with Ignis Immortalis.…"

.

.

"…that… Natsu agrees to accepts his daughter, 's…. hand in marriage…."

.

.

"…..You and _above all…._your _son_ should be grateful that Lapointe himself has chosen _him_ as his _only _daughter's suitor, knowing the… '_circumstances'._"

.

.

"HE'S _NOT_ SOME PETTY BOY! HE'S MY _SON_, GOD DAMMIT!",

"Only for eighteen years, Igneel…Bear that in mind…"

.

.

**_ '…_****_..I'm everything I am today…. because of that old man…'_**

"The _'mysterious code-breaker_' wouldn't have gotten the chance if _Natsu_ hadn't stepped in..."

.

**_ '…_****_I will not allow….my dad….to lower his head because of me… in front of Faust….or Acnologia…or anyone….'_**

.

.

_"__I don't care if the whole empire blows up. I don't care if you hate me. But I won't stand one minute of you insulting my son-"_

"I accept…"

* * *

><p><span><strong>CHAPTER IX<strong>

**But still, I…**

* * *

><p>Eyes wide open in shock and breath stuck in his throat, Igneel wished like never before that his ears were playing tricks on him.<p>

But, even though it was barely above a whisper, he had heard it nonetheless.

When his snob of a father and infuriating brother degraded his son, Igneel only saw red.

True, his son is reckless and carefree…or rather, he _was_…

His solutions to most of the real-life situations used to involve violence.

Even when he was in middle school, not a day went by where Igneel wouldn't receive a call from the school authorities to inform him of his son's scuffles at school, but the red-haired man would just dismiss it off with a hearty chuckle as Natsu's way of 'making friends'.

His love for challenge knew no bounds…both project-wise and brawl-wise...which _usually_ ended up in 'widespread' destruction. One may think what 'widespread destruction' is created while working on a _mere _project and may dismiss it off as nonsense. Ah…but that is where one is wrong.

Brawls used to involve the people in his vicinity only. But when it came to projects…now that is where one should be cautious.

Whenever Natsu took up a project, no matter how big or small it was….he tended to take them _veeeerry _seriously and _never_ backed out of it…and…that often led too….well…taking down the entire network…in his 'vicinity'.

And if one wonders how far this _vicinity_ goes…well, let's just say that Igneel would receive a call within the next few hours, from the commander of the country's cyber command base located at the far end of the country, inquiring as to whether one of the company's teams has undertaken a project…._again_!

And one may ask how Igneel would know that it was his son's doing…. Well…to put it simple….

If the code that Natsu was working on backfires on him, then he would run it again and again …but not on _just_ a single program window, but on multiple windows which can go beyond twenty or thirty, each one having some modifications here and there…And not just that…He would run all of them at the same time!

And the worst part would be that the prototype, to which the code was to be implemented on, will be already wired to his system! His son being _so_ dead set on getting the program right, wouldn't be in the right mind to pause and _try _to double-check everything.

So the minute his pink-haired idiot of a son presses the button for program run, all hell would break lose.

In the next minute, an alert would be blaring out of Igneel's computer with the indication that a fire alarm had gone off somewhere in one of the company buildings, with the system automatically logging onto the surveillance cameras to the 'scene of crime'.

The man would find himself muttering a string of curses while his narrowed eyes skimmed through the scurrying images of employees in the raining room for a certain culprit to confirm his suspicions.

And true enough, his eyes would land on a drenched disheveled fuming figure on the far corner, thrashing about, taking his anger in any way possible on what seemed to be the burned remains of the prototype which, due to its incapacity to handle a load of programs, had blown up in the face of an unsuspecting employee who, by then would be laying back flat on the ground unconscious, his face and the now static hair turned to char emitting smoke every now and then.

Boy, was that brat such a handful!

But, those days were long gone….

.

.

.

_"…__You've been a bit off lately."_

_"__I'm perfectly fine, old man."_

_"__It's like something's bothering you."_

_"__I don't know what you're talking about."_

_"__Cut the crap Natsu!"_

_"__**I**__ should be the one saying that to-"_

_"__You don't take up any high-end projects, you refuse to head a team, or in the least be in one unless Makarov, Gildarts or I provide you with a suitable reason. __**HELL**__, I DON'T EVEN HEAR ANY FIRE ALARMS NOWADAYS THAT SCREAMS YOUR__** NAME**__!"_

_"__You're whining because of the lack of arson?!"_

_"__IT'S NOT BECAUSE- Wha- I AM NOT WHIN- HEY, DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT, BRAT!_

_…__.I guess…..What I'm trying to say is…ever since that 'incident', you've been different. You always have that…cold __**aura**__ about you now, as if….as if you don't have a soul. You've become more reserved and-and withdrawn-" _

_"__Just give me the __**damn**__ approval order and I'll be out of your hair in no time."_

_"__See! This is __**exactly**__ what I'm talking about. The Natsu I know would be throwing a hissy fit by now like the brat he is, __**demanding**__ for a project that would 'surpass' Erza's, always getting into useless fights with that raven-haired friend of yours until Erza 'intervenes'. _

_It would be lucky if the gym and cafeteria are spared from one of the brawls caused by you, even for one day!_

_You always wore that __**stuuuuupid**__ grin that seemed to 'make anyone's day' and make those half-witted comments which would make anyone forget their misery just to whack your head._

_Where did that Natsu go, huh?!_

_Where is that Natsu who always found a way to invert a zero no matter how __**meaningless**__ it has become?!_

_Where is that Natsu who always found a way to look at things in a different light, no matter how __**twisted**__ they've become?!_

_Where is that Natsu who __**still**__ pushes on no matter __**how**__ big of an explosion it creates, __**no matter**__ what __**anyone**__ says, __**until**__ he gets it ri-"_

**_ "_****_That Natsu… _**_Is long__**. Gone!"**_

.

.

.

Wide eyes stared off into space as the words still echoed throughout his head.

"Speak up, boy! Surely, Igneel must have _trained _you better."

Awakening from his momentary trance, Igneel snapped his head towards the source of that snarky comment. Blood boiled in him yet again, on seeing the arrogant look on his father's face.

With a sharp yet shaky intake of breath, veins now bulging out of his clenched quivering fists restrained at his sides, polished black leather shoe made to shuffle forward in a heavy step, a low menacing growl sounding about.

_"__Like. I. __**said**__-"_

His eyes widened.

Now only did he feel the hand on his shoulder, when its grip tightened a little.

The red head snapped around.

Slit onyx pupils returned to normal the moment they landed on the owner, whose now disheveled bangs shielded his eyes, jaw muscles twitching as he clenched his teeth, his slightly quivering lips drawn into a thin line.

The trembling lips ever so slowly parted, the voice that came out of it, a little more audible this time, "I said…I am willing to accept the proposal."

Igneel's heart thumped painfully in his chest as his throat went dry, a low whisper escaping his lips, "N-Natsu-"

But the pink-haired man didn't stay to hear what his father had to say, nor did he lift up his head to look at the shock yet pained expression on his father's face, as he slid his hand off his father's shoulder, dashing past him and out of the room.

And once again, eerie silence filled the room…

.

.

.

_The day was bright and warm as any other day. The rays of the morning sun littered in through the large rectangular windows, lighting up the vast private dining room._

_A red haired man sat at a mile long dining table, clad in ironed white shirt and black slacks, paired up with polished black shoes, already dressed for the day. He yanked on the knot of his blue necktie in an attempt to loosen it before hunching back over the 10-inch tablet which had some charts and figures displayed on it._

_His brows were scrunched up in concentration as he tapped on the screen to edit the matter before averting his gaze, leaning a little bit away to the side to sip on his hot cup of morning tea. _

_Hastily picking up the fork that lay forgotten over the plate of a barely touched breakfast that stood to the side of his cup, he forked up the grub and plunged it into his wide open mouth before turning his head back…to find the device missing._

_"__Where th-"_

_"__Tch!"_

_The man snapped his eyes towards the source._

_His eyes widened, almost protruding out of their sockets as an almost girlish scream escaped his wide opened jaw._

_A small figure sat on the floor with its back towards the man, small legs splayed about while tapping furiously on the tablet. _

_"__GAH! WHAT DO YOU __**THINK YOU'RE YOU DOING?!**__"_

_"__Eh!", the figure snapped its head to look at the man with eyes half-lidded in irritation, before turning back towards the device, resuming the previous work._

_The man jolted at the unexpected reaction before scrambling out of his chair and onto the floor, speedily crawling towards the figure._

_"__STOP THAT!"_

_Still not affected by the man's outburst, with tongue peeking out of the corner of small lips, and pink bed hair pointing in directions unknown while the bangs covered the scrunched up brows with eyes narrowed in concentration at the device, the small figure __**furiously**__ tapped away at the screen._

_Thank god, the screen glass was hard!_

_With a growl, the man snatched the device out of the small hands while glaring at the small boy who jumped up in retaliation._

_"__HEY! I WASN'T FINISHED YET!"_

_The boy lunged at the man in order to snatch it back, only to be stopped by a large hand to his small forehead._

_"__GIVE IT BACK!"_

_The screaming boy wildly flailed his arms about, trying to hit the man and knock the device out of his hands which….was futile from the beginning itself._

_"__CUT IT OUT, NATSU! AND WIPE THAT __**DROOL**__ OFF YOUR-WHY THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN __**DROOLING**__ IN THE FIRST PLACE WHEN YOU'VE ONLY JUST WOKEN __**UP**__!"_

_But the boy ignored the man, still continuing on with his attacks, "GIVE. IT. __**BAAAACKK**__!"_

_The tick mark still present on his forehead, the man was now curious as to why his son was fussing over his tablet._

_"__OKAY NATSU, JUST STO- WOULD YOU __**JUST STO**__-" _

_A vibration in his hand caused the red-haired man to snap his attention towards the device that was held up high out of the boy's reach, with his other hand still on the boy's forehead._

_Brows scrunched up together, the man was about to read the notification flashing at the top of the screen but found his eyes glued to the region below it._

_'__W-Wha-'_

_Color__ slowly drained from his face as his jaw dropped open, his eyes widening even more if possible._

_The hand restraining the thrashing boy dropped down numb; the boy as a result hurtling forwards without any control over his body from the sudden release, headfirst into the man's stomach._

_ "__OOF!"_

_The man fell on his back from the sudden collision with the boy on top of him, his head still implanted in the man's stomach._

_A groan escaped the boy as he lifted his head up, squinting his eyes open to find himself lying on top of his father who was in the process of sitting up._

_Suddenly his eyes caught it._

_"__AHA!"_

_The boy snatched the tablet that lay carelessly in front of him on the man's chest, a victorious grin across his small face._

_Wasting no time, he was about to resume tapping on the screen when the device was snatched out of his hands again. _

_"__I said, cut it OUT! And, __**why**__ are you drooling over whatever it is that you're dra-", the man's face turned ghostly white at the sudden remembrance of what he saw in his tablet._

_"__What did you…WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY PRESENTATION!"_

_The boy flinched from the man's high pitched scream before his eyes widened when large hands gripped his small shoulders._

_The red-haired man began to shake the now fully awake boy who started to scream his reply._

_But, only incoherent words were heard due to the boy's head jerking back and forth with all the shaking._

_Gripping the boy's upper arms to keep him from shaking, the man glared as he shrieked again, "SAY __**WHAT**__?!"_

_"__Tch! I said….THAT'S NOT HOW A __**PIZZAAA**__ LOOKS LIKE!"_

_Igneel blanched, looking down at his tablet that lay to the side, displaying his pie chart which was now a poor edit of red color splattered all over it with smudges of different colours here and there on the top, 'M-My sleepless months of hard work…turned into…into food menu…'_

_"__I'm doom-"_

_"__EEEEEEEK! GET IT OFF! GET. __**IT**__. __**OOFFFF**__!"_

_Both of them snapped their heads towards the closed door of their dining room._

_The red haired man frowned, "What is goi-"_

_Crashes and yells sounded from the other side of the door._

_"__Igneel-sama."_

_The red-haired nearly jumped out of his skin, twisting around to see a tall middle aged man in black twin-tailed coat uniform, standing up straight with his arms plastered at his sides._

_"__A-Ah, Jerry! What is it?", the red-haired ran a hand over his pale face._

_"__I'm sorry Igneel-sama, but the young master is mis-", the man cut himself off as his eyes landed on the boy behind Igneel, who was now sneakily extending his hands towards the tablet with an evil grin._

_"__Ah! There you are Nat-"_

_"__Jerry."_

_The butler snapped his head towards the red-haired man who wore a grim expression, "Why are you here?"_

_"__My apologies Igneel-sama, but Master ordered me to take care of Natsu-sa-"_

_"__Why? Why does he want to stick his nose into something he so clearly __**despises to death**__? Does he wish to make the boy's life __**miserable**__ than it already __**is**__?"_

_Snapping his head towards the source of the low growl, Natsu watched his father's face turn darker and darker, as words dripped out of his mouth like venom. His heart clenched a little._

_He maybe too young to understand anything, but he had the sense to know that he was the main topic. His vision blurred as he watched his father clench his teeth in frustration. _

_Whatever it was, it was not good. Or else, his always calm father wouldn't seem like wanting to lash out on the butler, yet at the same time wanting to yell out in frustration._

_The butler lowered his head in respect, "That's not it sir. Master wishes to keep tab on him. He says he wants to know whether he is worthy enough to bear the 'title'."_

_Confusion marred his scrunched up brows, "Worthy eno-", Igneels's eyes dangerously narrowed in sudden realisation and took in a sharp breath before muttering darkly, "Worthy enough?", he took a step towards the butler, "__**Worthy. Enough?!**__", his hand started to make its way towards the butler's collar, "__**What, do you me**__-"_

_ "__NOOOOOO…."_

_"__CALM DOWN, WILL YA! ITS JUST A-"_

_"__EEEEEEEK!"_

_Cries and yells sounded again from the other side of the closed door._

_An irritated yet dazed Igneel and his pink haired son turned to look at the door wearing similar frowns again._

_The red-haired man turned to look at the nonchalant butler, "Say Jerry.. You wouldn't happen to know what's going on, do you…?"_

_The butler merely dragged his eyes over to the closed door before looking back at his master, "Well, it seems that the maids and the others have found the food thief in the kitchenette and are currently in pursuit-"_

_"__EEEEEEEKK! GET IT __**AWAY**__ FROM MEEEE!"_

_Igneel sweat-dropped, 'Pursuit? Sounds more like, running away..'_

_The boy who had been looking blankly at the door must have come to his senses now only because his onyx eyes widened as he let out an audible gasp, "Mister Snuffle Pudding!" _

_He dashed towards the door, bursting out through it, the door slamming against the wall with a loud bang, his screams now mixing in with that of the commotion which now became clearer._

_"__SOMEONE GET IT AW- EEEK! NATSU-SAMA! DON'T GO NE- W-WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU-EEEEEEEP!"_

_"__NATSU-SAMA! THAT'S DANGEROUS!"_

_Igneel wasted no time as he dashed towards the open door, fearing the worst._

_His eyes widened at the sight._

_There stood his son, on top of the counter-top in the middle of the kitchenette. In his arms was a furry creature, whose head was held close to the boy's chest as he hugged it protectively out of harm's way._

_The pale-faced maids and panting workers stood around the table, with mouths wide open as the boy looked at them with a scowling red face._

_Sighing in relief that his son was safe, the man's eyes softened as he slowly walked towards the boy._

_Natsu snapped his head towards the sound of shuffling to shoot a threatening glare at the person, only to calm slightly on seeing that it was his father._

_"__Natsu…"_

_The boy just looked up at the man who was now in front of him, with wide, glassy eyes while hugging the furry creature even more tightly to his chest, eliciting a small squeak from it as it shakily struggled slightly in his arms._

_The man raised his hand, the palm of his hand facing the boy's face._

_The boy instantly squeezed his eyes shut, his face scrunched up waiting for the inevitable punishment from his father._

_He flinched when a large hand was placed on top of his head and his body automatically stiffened. He bit the insides of his cheek, waiting for the bitter pain or yelling that was to follow._

_His eyes flew open when the fingers gently raked through his hair, the warmth seeping into his scalp calming him down._

_He stared at the ground in shock before slowly tilting his head up to look up at the man who was still caressing his hair, combing it in a way so as to make it look more presentable._

_His breath stilled on seeing the soft smile that played across his father's face._

_His vision became blurry at the loving gaze that was trained on him._

_Guilt flooded through him. He squeezed his mouth shut to prevent a sob from escaping his trembling lips before looking down again as he closed his eyes._

_"__Master Ign-"_

_"__Miss Martha, would you please prepare Natsu's breakfast and bring it to my room. Just the way he likes it?"_

_The maid nodded with a curt bow, "Yes Master!"_

_The boy flinched a little when he felt himself being lifted off the table, jerking his head to the side to see none other than his father whose arms were wrapped around him as he carried him out of the kitchenette._

_Too scared to open his mouth, the boy just watched the man's face for any signs of anger while being carried upstairs._

_The man's face remained emotionless, trudging through the long empty halls to his destination._

_Upon reaching a set of large double doors, he pushed them open to reveal a vast room donned with a four-post king sized bed having a bedside table with a lamp on it. Dim-lit lamps decorated the light brownish maroon walls._

_Off to the side were large glass double doors which opened up to a side terrace with an ornate yet simple round coffee table with three wooden chairs arranged around it, the banisters overlooking a vast garden estate below._

_The man set his son on the bed and squatted on the floor to be in same height as that of the boy's, who still looked down while hugging the creature close to him._

_A large hand placed itself on the boy's head causing the boy to look up at the man who held a soft gaze, "So, Snuffle Pudding, eh?"_

_The man smiled at the boy who stared at him with wide eyes before nodding in response with a shaky hum._

_The boy jerked back a little when he saw the man trembling slightly, his wide smile looking strained now. Before he knew it, the man hunched over, guffawing out loud, the laughter echoing throughout the vast room._

_ "__H-Huh?Wha-"_

_The man raised his hands in surrender looking at the boy while chuckling, "O-Oh s-sorry.. It's just that...It-s a-a weird name, that's all."_

_"__It's not weird!", the boy puffed out his now tinted cheeks while looking off to side._

_"__But w-why the name?", Igneel tried to keep on a straight face._

_"__One day, he tried to reach for my bowl full of pudding that was on my table. But it ended up falling on top of him. And he always sniffs at any new thing he finds, his sniffs can be heard even from a mile away.", the boy's mumble might have been almost inaudible but the man heard him owing to his sharp senses._

_Igneel chuckled, "I see…."_

_A large hand rested on the boy's plump cheek, forcing him to look at the red-haired man._

_"__How long have you had him?"_

_"__One week, I think? I found him in the greenhouse on a rainy night. He was cornered by one of those guard dogs. He looked so scared and that dog was about to attack him, but I saved him. He was all wet… and shivering and could not stand properly. So I sneaked him into my room and kept him warm and fed him…", the boy's eyes trailed off to the side, not able to bear the man's intense yet soft gaze, " I'm…I-I'm sorry..."_

_"__Why didn't you tell me about him?"_

_The boy's vision blurred a little as he gulped, "I-I thought you might get angry at me, a-and tell me that you didn't want me a-anymore...or-or you might-"_

_Natsu suddenly found his face buried in the man's chest._

_"__I will never, ever, __**ever**__ do that to you. I love you so __**damn**__ much to give you away. So don't go thinking like that. __**Ever. **__Okay?", Igneel mumbled into the boy's hair._

_Feeling a heavy lump in his throat, Natsu could only nod into the man's chest as he squeezed his now teary eyes shut, nuzzling deeper into the man's shirt._

_Slight squeaks followed by desperate struggles of something soft against his chest made the man pull away quickly._

_Looking down, his eyes narrowed a little in curiosity at the creature that was caged within the boy's arms._

_The boy followed the man's gaze, looking down at the creature._

_"__Can I…", the boy looked up to see his father looking at the creature with a soft expression, "Can I see him?"_

_"__S-sure…"_

_The boy slid down from the bed and opened his arms, and immediately the creature shot out._

_Igneel's eyes widened as they fell upon the furry animal._

_Long and slender with white, brown and black littering over its entire body, the ferret stared at the pink-haired boy with black beady yet glassy eyes as if to say, 'You almost suffocated me to death!', before snapping its head towards the red haired man. _

_Sitting on its hind legs, the animal extended its body up a little trying to sniff the man who was a few feet away._

_And sure enough, just like Natsu had told, the sniffling sounds were loud and clear._

_The man extended his right hand with caution, beckoning the animal to him, "Come here.."_

_The animal stared at his hand, still trying to sniff it from a few feet away, snapping its head towards Natsu before turning back to take wary steps towards the man._

_"__I really wanted to keep him.."_

_The man glanced at the boy who was gazing sadly at the animal which was now near the man's hand, sniffing it._

_"__So? Keep him."_

_The boy snapped his head towards the man with eyes wide in bewilderment._

_"__W-What?!"_

_"__I said keep him..", the man shrugged nonchalantly before turning his attention back at the animal which was now enjoying the man's strokes._

_Igneel smirked mischievously at the boy, "You just have to learn to hide him better."_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_"__B-But why?"_

_The man sighed, gazing down from his seat on the boy's bed at the pink haired-boy who was on the ground petting the ferret as it nibbled on the treat from the boy's hand._

_The man raised a sceptical brow, "Did you not see what happened there? It's a miracle that Mister Snuffles is here in one piece. If neither of us were there, who knows what would have happened. You know how 'he' is. Would you forgive yourself if something were to happen to this guy?", the man gestured at the furry creature who had started to curl up in Natsu's lap._

_"__It's Mister Snuffle Pudding. But….", the boy cut himself off. Gazing down at the furball, he sighed, "Hmm, yeah… I wouldn't…"_

_He caressed its head with the back of his forefinger while he closed his mouth shut, trembling lips tightening into a thin line as pink bangs covered his eyes._

_Igneel slid down from the bed onto the ground, settling into a cross-legged position and picked up the boy, settling him onto his lap, his large hands resting on the boy's hips to keep him in place, while the ferret which had jerked up a little to assess the situation curled up again in the boy's lap._

_Natsu only lowered his head a little more in response, his eyes squeezing shut._

_The man rested his chin on the boy's shoulder to peer at his face, "Hey.."_

_"__Why couldn't he have just stayed in my room?!"_

_The ferret flinched a little at the sudden yell, looking up at the boy's face with beady black eyes, his nose twitching._

_The man sighed, "Natsu…."_

_"__No matter how many times I tell him not to go out, no matter how many times I lock the door, he would always find a way out!"_

_The boy's yells got louder and louder._

_Large arms wrapped around the small shaking figure, the child's back now pressed against the man's chest, effectively silencing the now wide-eyed boy at the sudden action. _

_The man rested his chin atop the small head._

_"__Natsu…"_

_The wide-eyed boy was now panting from all the yelling, from all the anger, frustration, sadness and emotions new to him, swirling inside his chest, squeezing his small heart painfully. He just wanted it to make it all go away._

_Why do these things always happen to him? Why does he always have to give up everything? No matter what he does, in the end, everything and everyone ends up leaving him, either by force or by fate._

_But not this time. He is not going to give in so easily. No. Not this ti-_

_"__Natsu… Would you like it if you were locked up in a room all by yourself, not being allowed to go anywhere?"_

_"__No…I won't. But-But this is different."_

_The man shook his head, "No Natsu. It's not different. Mister Snuffles is also a living thing like you. He also likes to run around just like you. He is full of energy, always looking for everything and anything that catches his eye. Just like you. The only thing different here is that, he is an animal and hence won't understand what is going on whereas you will….well…sometimes.."_

_The boy sighed, "Yeah, you're ri-", he paused when the words sunk in and with a slight gasp he tilted his head up to glare at his father, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?! I always understa-"_

_"__We're going off topic here.", the man peered down at the boy with raised brows._

_Natsu closed his mouth with a small growl, snapping his head back down to stare at the ferret that was curled up again, while resuming his caresses._

_"__I know it's hard Natsu. But even if 'he' never did find out about Mister Snuffles would it be right to just keep him locked up in your room forever? For the rest of his life? Would it be fair to Mister Snuffles?"_

_The boy sighed dejectedly, "I just….I-I-", he clenched his teeth, his vision getting blurry, "He was my only friend, you know…"_

_The man hugged the boy closer, resting his chin again on top of the boys' head, "I know, Natsu….I know..."_

_A small hand found its way onto one of the large arms that encircled the boy's chest. Gripping onto it, Natsu rested his chin on it, his bangs covering his eyes as a lone tear glided down his cheek and past his tightly shut trembling lips._

_ "__Hey Igneel…?"_

_The man hummed questioningly._

_"__Promise me….that Mister Snuffle Pudding finds a friend who would love him…and-and lets him eat and sniff as much as he wants…"_

_The man chuckled lightly, "Yeah..."_

_"__Promise me!"_

_"__I promise Natsu…Besides, you and I are best buddies too!", the man squeezed his small body eliciting a groan from him, as the man rubbed his cheek with that of the boy's._

_"__Eewww! Get away from me, old man!", the scowling boy tried to wiggle out of his father's grip._

_The man snorted, "Aaand the brat's back!"_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_"__Yes Father, I will meet with her."_

_"__After you two get acquainted, Mr. Williams and I will discuss about the future plans and fix the date for the ceremony."_

_"__Yes Father…"_

_Through the slit provided by the slightly open door, onyx eyes darted back and forth between the red-haired man and an older man who sat at his desk, as they conversed formally in the vast study._

_ "__And I hope you will keep your end of the deal too, Father."_

_Pink brows furrowed in confusion at the red-haired man's unyielding tone. Somehow, he couldn't help but feel that all of this was related to him._

_"__Yes, yes.", the elder man waved his hand in a nonchalant manner, his eyes fixed on the papers that littered his desk while he shuffled through them. Not once did he lift his head up to look at his red-haired son, "Do whatever you want, but I do hope you know what you're doing."_

_The red-haired man clenched his fists at his sides, "Since when did you start 'worrying' over what I do?"_

_"__Well, I always did. After all, you're my son."_

_Igneel gritted his teeth at the condescending tone._

_The boy jolted back when Igneel shuffled in his spot, about to turn around, "If that is all, may I be-"_

_The boy didn't dare to linger there any longer. He ran as fast as his small legs would carry him, back through the empty hallways, through the flight of stairs, skidding to a stop on reaching the doors to his large lonely room._

_Closing the door as quiet as possible, he stumbled towards his bed, collapsing face first onto it. While trying to calm his racing heart and ragged breaths, various thoughts flooded his mind._

_What were they talking about? Who is Igneel meeting up with? What is this ser- serma- that thing the old man wanted to fix the date for? Ugh, too many thoughts-_

_A knock sounded on the door._

_"__Natsu? You in there?"_

_The creak of the door sounded, followed by shuffling and closing of the door. Natsu's heart pounded, in synch with the footsteps nearing his bed…thumping in nervousness of being found out._

_The boy didn't move, his face still buried in the covers as he felt a shift in his bed._

_He didn't dare move, breathing in and out as normally as he could, pretending to be asleep. If he laid there still his father won't suspect that he had eavesdropped on them. But it's so hard to breathe when your nose is planted in the mattress. How do they do that on TV-_

_Large fingers raked through his hair, working its magic as they massaged his scalp._

_The boy sighed in delight. At this rate, he __**would**__ fall asleep, and he would __**never**__ be suspe-_

_"__OW!", the boy jolted up at the sudden smack on his head._

_He twisted around to glare at his father, "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!"_

_The man smirked, "That's what you get for trying to fool me."_

_The boy opened his mouth to retort, but sealed it shut when nothing came to mind, plopping down cross-legged, his arms crossed across his chest while puffing out his slightly pink cheeks._

_The man chuckled, "Say, Natsu…"_

_The boy snapped his head to look up at the man with wide eyes in curiosity at the sudden change in his tone. The man was staring at the ground with a small melancholic smile._

_ "__What do you say, you and I, move out to live in another house?"_

_"__Huh?", now Natsu was even more confused._

_"__You never liked this house anyway.", the man turned to look at the boy with raised brows._

_"__I never said that!", the boy sputtered in surprise._

_"__Well, I don't need you to tell me that. I know you. You were always locked up in this mansion, not being allowed to go anywhere. With no one to talk with or no one to play with you… So, what do you say? Come on, it will be fun. You and me, having a whole house to ourselves. You can run around and scream as much as you want. You can even go to school and make friends there." _

_A heavy lump formed in his throat, as the boy gazed up at the man who was grinning widely at him._

_Why…Why is this man being so nice to him? After all that's happened…And this man speaks as if it's his own fault…when all along it was he who-_

_"__So? What do you say?"_

_His vision blurred a little, at the wide pleading eyes staring back at him._

_Gulping down hard, the boy looked up at the man with a teary smile, "Y-Yeah, i-it'd be great..."_

.

.

.

The corner of his lips turned up into a melancholic smile, his eyes still hidden under his bangs while he continued his mad dash to wherever his feet will take him.

_'__..Thank you for being there for me always, Igneel…'_

* * *

><p>"….AND WE WILL PULL FROM THE INSIDE. AM. I. <em>CLEAR<em>?!"

**"****SIR, YES SIR!"**

"So, let me get this straight..", a slightly flushed Cana looked towards Lucy and Levy after lowering the bottle she was hugging earlier, from her mouth.

"ALRIGHT! ON THE COUNT OF THREE!"

"….are we supposed to push or pull?", the half-lidded brunette raised a nonchalant brow in question while placing a hand on her hip.

**"****1!" **

"Ah, never mind..", waving her hand in dismissal, she took a quick large gulp from the bottle, unknowingly spilling a little of its contents onto the ground, creating a puddle.

**"****2!"**

"Let me keep this baby here…", bending down she placed the bottle near the wall away from the door of their apartment, "aaaand…"

"**3!**"

"Aaall set!", wiping her mouth, she stumbled towards Lucy and Levy who were already in position.

**"****PULL!"**

The brunette immediately planted her feet on the ground and started tugging on the binds that kept the luggage in place on the trolley which currently, was stuck in the door of their apartment.

Earlier, Erza had assumed that her ceiling high luggage would easily pass through the door with no sweat- to which none of the girls voiced otherwise due to fear of her raging out on them again- only for it to get stuck. And now, she and Juvia are trapped inside the apartment while Lucy, Levy and Cana are stranded out.

"P-Pulll!"

"Push!"

"Puuulll!"

Huffs and grunts of 'pull" that elicited from the brunette attracted her companions' attention.

A tick mark appeared on the petite bluenette's forehead on seeing the drunken brunette tugging on the ropes with her feet skidding over the tiled surface, while she and Lucy were pushing the heap in as hard as they could.

The bluenette hissed, "_You're supposed to __**push**__ not pull!", _but the half-dazed brunette seemed to not hear her, continuing to just pull at it more and more.

Thank god those binds were strong! Or they would've been buried under an avalanche by now.

The petite girl straightened up, loosening her hands from the binds, "Ugh, this is getting nowhere."

Titling her head up she gritted her teeth a little on seeing the top of the pile stuck in the equally high door before crossing her arms across her chest as her head drooped low with her eyes closed and letting out a frustrated sigh.

She was so _damn tired_ from her journey and her body ached all over after all that happened at the airport.

Though, with the excitement of greeting their new roommate and the surprise planned out for her, the dire need for a whole weekend sleep went right out the window.

And she was dying to take a nice warm bath to rejuvenate her almost inanimate self and maybe read a book while at it before carrying out the surprise.

But _nohohoooooooww!_

Erza just _had_ to pile up her luggage so _friggin' _**high** and **jam** it in the door without a second thought and now, they are **stuck** outside with a **drunkard** whose brain seems to have washed away with the **alcohol**!

She gritted her teeth a little more, as her body shook slightly in anger.

_'__This is __**not **__happening…'_

She bought all the things that was required for decorating the apartment like she was told to, dragging her _not-so-light luggage _around the freakishly large airport terminal, she argued with the patisserie to have _ten_ strawberry cakes delivered to their apartment by noon, she _even_ bought that-that drunkard's bottle!

_And what does she get in return?! _

Multitudes of gun barrels pointed at her head!

And to think that she would be able to sink her _chibi __**ass**_ into the soft confines of their living room couch after greeting their roommate for _at least_ a **second**!

"That's it!"

Growling under her breath, petite fists flew to her sides as the fuming red-faced bluenette trudged backwards until her back met with the wall opposite their door.

Dragging her hands over her scrawny biceps as if to yank up the invisible sleeves, hazel eyes snapped open, burning with fury and determination.

With a high-pitched battle cry- which would be easily mistaken for childish squeals- the girl charged forwards, angling her body sideways towards the heap.

What followed after, happened in a blur of crashes, squeals and laughter, ending up in an almost harmless disaster…._almost…_

A dainty-sized orange sneaker slid the moment it plunked into a small puddle, a few feet away from the heap, made by a certain someone's poor attempt to guzzle the rest of her brown bottle, causing the bluenette to lose her footing.

The childish 'battle cries' that echoed throughout the vast empty corridor now morphed into fearful screams.

The screamer was hurled headfirst into the pile at high speed the same time the binds snapped under the brunette's sheer force, muffling the bluenette's screams the second she got lodged inside the heap with a plonk, while the bag that was stuck at the top of the pile collapsed onto the head of the poor unsuspecting blonde who fell down flat on her back under the weight.

The instant the top bag got free, the trolley whooshed inside but toppled over a surprised red-head and bluenette owing to the excessive pull provided by the red-head herself.

Shoving the heavy bag off of her, the light-headed blonde stumbled to her feet with a low groan, wincing slightly with a whimper when pain shot through her head and down her whole body.

'_Just, what is __**in**__ that __**bag**__?'_

Leaning against the door frame for support, she shook her head a little in hopes of warding off the dizziness, only for it to worsen.

Groans and high-pitched screams sounded, followed by a sudden loud laughter that echoed throughout the hall.

Blinking her eyes rapidly to focus her vision, the blonde slowly lifted her head to look at the aftermath.

Brown eyes which were half lidded in pain, popped wide open.

Bags, suitcases and whatnot were littered all over what used to be their living room.

"O-OHOHOH M-MY..!"

Cana's loud howls rung in her ears making the blonde wince at the increasing dizziness in her head.

'_God! Why the hell is she….'_

Brown eyes widened when they landed on the answer for 'why'.

_'…__.lau…ghing….'_

There, flailing vigorously among the many various sized bags and suitcases were two slender legs while muffled high-pitched cries sounded out from the pile of baggage where they protruded from.

The blonde made to stumble her way towards the victim when a shuffling of bags and a low muffled groan to her side caught her attention.

"Is everyone alright?", a disheveled red head popped out of the pile as she looked around the mess, "Where is Juvia?"

Quickly shoving the bags off of her as if they were nothing, she stood up and bent down to frantically move the bags in search of the said person.

"J-Juvia is a-alright.."

Suddenly the pile of bags behind Erza moved and out popped the head of a dazed bluenette.

With her mind focused a little more properly now, the muffled squeals caught the blonde's attention again.

Snapping her head towards the flailing legs, Lucy maneuvered her way towards the victim while Cana still cackled out loud as she sauntered into the apartment, swinging the bottle in her hand.

With the red-head also lending a hand, they moved the bags one by one and together, they finally fished out a red-faced, teary eyed, shaggy Levy whose was fuming with anger and exhaustion.

"H-Ho! N-Never… i-in my life have.. I-I laughed this-this hard..!"

Snapping her head towards the still howling brunette, with a low growl- which the blonde couldn't help but compare to a cute Chihuahua- Levy stomped towards Cana and flailed her tiny fists at her, "If it wasn't for you, this would've never happened!"

"Eh?", the brunette raised a brow with a smug grin, "If it weren't for me, we would've been still stranded out."

The bluenette groaned in defeat, "Ugh, just shut up!"

"By the way..", the grin on Cana's face morphed into a smirk, "..I never knew that strawberry patterned ones were still in fashion…"

"Wha-", Levy's head snapped down as her hands flew towards the end of her shorts before lifting her head back up slowly.

"How would you know I'm wearing one of those?", the bluenette narrowed her eyes at Cana as blush started to creep onto her face.

"Didn't until just now…", the smirking brunette swayed off with the bottle now in her mouth, while Levy blushed crimson.

"PERVERTED DRUNKARD!"

Chuckling silently, the blonde turned her head to look around the shambolic room.

'_Looks like a long day ahead…'_

Her breath suddenly hitched in her throat when her eyes landed on something colorful.

'WELCOME HOME, LUCY!'

The large banner was hung between the large chandelier in the living room and the simple light that hung above the dinner table.

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Alright girls, if we are to keep up with our schedule, we have _got_ to clean this mess up!"

The blonde frowned, '_What schedule?'_

She snapped her head in confusion towards Erza.

The red-head had her head held high in a domineering way with her hands planted on her hips. In front of her, Levy and Juvia stood straight up in mock salute while Cana was slouched beside them with the bottle dangling from her hand.

"Yes Ma'am!"

Erza turned around to face the blonde, "I'm so sorry for the mess, Lucy. We'll have this apartment tidied up in no time. You just sit there and relax, okay?", she directed a small smile towards the blonde who only numbly nodded.

Turning back around, the red-head clapped twice, "Well! What are you waiting for?! Move your butts! Your things aren't going to move into your rooms by themselves. Move it! Move it!"

The blonde watched in awe as the girls immediately scurried around to move their luggage and tidy up the living room.

Letting out a heavy breath, the blonde put up her hair into a bun, the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile with determination reflecting in her eyes.

'_Well, might as well help.'_

Heaving up a cardboard box with a huff, the blonde turned to look at Erza who had her back turned to her, with three bags piled up in her arms with ease.

"Erza, where does this go?"

The said girl spun around with slightly wide eyes, "Wha- Lucy! No, we'll handle this!"

The others also paused to stare at the blonde.

"No Erza..", the blonde shook her head with a smile, "I'll also help. That way we can get it done faster."

Levy smiled, "No Lucy, it's our fault this happened. Besides, you look tired.", but the bluenette inwardly growled, '_Although it's Erza's…'_

Juvia also stepped forward with a small smile, "Yes Lucy-san. We'll handle it. You just sit there on the couch and relax. I'll get you a drink-"

"No guys, I'm fine. Seriously, I'm not tired at all…", the blonde shrugged, looking down at the top of the box in her hands, "And it's not anyone's fault either…Besides..", she looked up at them with a smile.

"We're all in this together now, aren't we?"

* * *

><p>Heavy shuffling of shoes echoed throughout the empty corridor.<p>

A man appeared at the end of the hallway with his head lowered as he slowly made his way towards his destination.

He halted on reaching his apartment door and closed his eyes.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he leaned his head against the door with a thump; his hands hanging limp at his sides.

Regaining his presence of mind after a moment or two, he slowly dug his hands into his pant pockets and fished out his keys which jingled when they were pulled out of their confines.

Shuffling inside, he closed the door and threw the keys onto the nearby table, the rattle echoing eerily across the dark empty apartment.

Numbly, he leaned back against the door with his hands behind his back, his head hanging low as he closed his eyes again.

_"…..your __**son**__ should be grateful that Lapointe himself has chosen __**him**__ as his __only__ daughter's suitor, knowing the… __**'**__**circumstances'**__.__"_

_._

_._

_"__That__ boy has done __**nothing**__ but tarnish the name of the family…"_

_._

.

_"…__Not to sound rude and all sonny, but you and I both know that you were __**nothing**__ but a __**disgrace**__ to the family name. So why don't you go make yourself…__**useful **__to your father before you go and criticize everyone. Hmm?"_

_._

_._

His eyelids fluttered as he tried to squeeze them tight, trying to prevent any more flashbacks from resurfacing. His head drooped even more low while his bangs covered his eyes. His lips were now drawn into a tight line, his bottom lip quivering a little.

.

.

_"HE'S __**NOT **__SOME PETTY BOY! HE'S MY __**SON**__, GOD DAMMIT!"_

His lips stopped quivering, its corner tugging up to form a melancholic smile.

Seriously….that man has _got_ to stop _fighting_ for him.

He knew that the man was fighting for his son's life.

To protect his feelings.

But he had given up on his life a long time back.

His heart….it was just beating because it had to fulfil its duty…that's how he is right now….living as if to fulfil his responsibility…moving in the direction which that-that _man _orders him to…

Breathing, because he had a never-ending obligation towards his father to fulfil….he was gravely indebted to that man.

And his feelings…After being in that cold dark mansion for years, he doesn't feel anything anymore.

'_But still….'_

Sighing shakily, he slowly tilted his head up to rest it against the door, and stared blankly at the ceiling with quivering eyes.

'….._It hurts.'_

Why…?

Was there a tiny ray of hope hidden deep inside his heart? Had his heart hoped for something to happen?

If so, why now? Why now, after all these years…?

He had everything in his life…more than he could ever ask for. Igneel worked hard to make sure of it.

But he was sure he wanted nothing more than to make his father happy.

After all, it was all because of him that Igneel….

Natsu gritted his teeth as he shifted his eyes to a different spot on the ceiling.

Then…why now?

What did his heart want, that his mind doesn't know of?

This pain…it was excruciatingly dull…it was choking him…

He is so _damn_ tired from it all…

He just…he just wishes it would all go away…

With another sigh, he pushed himself off from the door, running a hand through his disheveled locks.

He felt so lost…

A meow sounded, snapping him out of his reverie.

A blue head with pointed ears peeked out of his bedroom, black eyes boring into his in concern.

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, "Hey Happy.."

The kitten scampered towards the man with his tail high as the man squatted down to the feline's level.

Brushing his furry head against calloused fingers, the cat purred in pleasure before withdrawing his head from under the hand a few moments later to sniff its owner's palm.

Natsu chuckled, "Sorry buddy. I didn't have lunch, so no treats today."

He brought his hand over the feline's head to pat him again only for the cat to dodge it and swat it away before looking up at its owner with large watery eyes.

The man narrowed his eyes at the kitten, "Fine, fine. I will go out and buy some…", the cat purred out loud in happiness, "…but only after sometime. For now, you would have to make do with Friskies."

The purring was immediate to stop as the feline looked up at the man in displeasure at the mention of his least favourite food.

"Or else, no treat for dinner.", with that Natsu got up and walked towards the kitchen, the cat following ever so slowly with a scowl.

Pouring the food into cat's bowl, the man bent down to place it in front of the sulking feline, whose ears immediately flattened on seeing the food in his bowl, and patted his head before walking out of the kitchen.

That blue feline was his only companion who would ward off his dreaded thoughts even if it was for just a few minutes. He adored that picky eater.

Having that feline around was the only thing that made Natsu feel that he was wanted. That someone was waiting for him to return home. That he had someone who would listen to anything and everything he says.

Yeah, he gets cranky when he doesn't get his treats on time or scratch as payback for forcefully bathing him, but still…that furball had always been there every time he needed a companion.

No one can take him away.

But…what will happen when he is forced to move away into a large mansion…after that…marriage…

His chest tightened a little at the thought of his little happiness being taken away.

_Grandfather_ despised everything that isn't his blood …and that included humans…So Happy was out of the question.

And that snobbish, flirt of a woman whom he is to be engaged to, doesn't seem to like animals either…especially one as weird colored as Happy.

Well, she will have to make do with him. Whether she likes it. Or not.

_'__But still, I…'_

Natsu dragged himself towards his bedroom.

Is this how it's going to be? Marry a woman whose name he doesn't _even know_, just so that they can merge their companies?

Won't he get to have a say in this?

But then…he doesn't deserve it…

Not after…

Lowering his head, he clenched his teeth again and squeezed his eyes shut. He raked a hand through his messy locks while his other hand hung at his side tightened into a fist.

Heaving out another sigh, he lifted his head up and opened his eyes…only for them to widen.

His hands dropped limply at his sides as his jaw slackened.

Dark brown shoes paired up with light brown socks…

He dragged his eyes slowly upwards.

Equally light brown shorts with dark brown border…maroon button up shirt with a white cloth tied around the waist…

Small hands hung limply at the sides….

Wild pink locks, an unruly mess…

A young boy stared right back at him from the mirror with equally wide eyes and slightly parted lips...

Those eyes…they held nothing but pain….regret…loneliness…

Squeezing his eyes shut again, Natsu took in a deep breath, his teeth clenching again.

After a few moments, he cautiously opened them only to be met with his reflection this time.

Sighing in exhaustion, he raked a hand through his hair.

'_Maybe a bath will help…'_

* * *

><p>"Finally!"<p>

Levy collapsed on the couch with a loud plonk, sighing in delight at the softness that engulfed her tired body.

Juvia was already splayed out on the recliner on the side of the couch, a giddy smile on her face, one leg hanging lazily off the side.

"Juvia feels like she can just sleep for forever…"

Cana had already claimed her place on the coffee table, sitting cross-legged, already on her third bottle of the day, drinking without a care in the world.

Erza stood there with her arms crossed across her chest, her eyes scanning the room, admiring their work with a proud smile on her face.

A soft chuckle caught their attention.

Turning around, their eyes widened.

With a tray in her hands, lined with violet colored drinks and straws bobbing up and down in each glass, their new roommate walked towards them with a small smile on her face.

"A long journey and heavy cleaning can take the life right out of you. So I thought to whip you up a drink."

Even though they were too tired to bat an eyelash at the unknown drink, the droplets of condensation that lined the tall glass surfaces were enough for them to make a grab for it. Well, except for the brunette of course.

Their eyes twinkled when their fingers made contact with the chilled glasses, immediately shoving the straws into their mouths.

Collective moans rung throughout the living room as the girls sipped on their drinks with their eyes closed.

Setting one drink beside the brunette, the blonde settled on the couch set perpendicular to the one on which Levy was, as she started to sip on her drink while watching all of them in amusement.

"Mmmm! Oh my God Lucy! This is soooooo _goooood_!", Levy mewled in delight.

Lowering the bottle from her mouth, Cana smirked coquettishly at Levy with half-lidded eyes, "Mmm? You enjoying it baby? But, if you come with me, I might show you an even more good time…"

Juvia immediately spurted out her drink, laughing and hacking altogether while Levy hunched over as the violet liquid came out of her nose before shooting a glare at Cana with a red-face, "Would you shut your freaking mouth already?!"

"Cana, Levy. Manners!", a slightly blushing Erza glared at the two.

"Yes Ma'am!"

The blonde chuckled silently, a mild blush tinting her cheeks.

"C-Cana-s-san, you should try this! It's really delicious!", Juvia croaked out still trying to recover from her wheezing.

"Mmm, Juvia is right. This drink is so heavenly. What is in this, Lucy? I can't figure out the flavour.", the red-head looked at the blonde with curious eyes.

Pink tinted the blonde's cheeks yet again at the sudden attention of all the girls on her.

"Uhm, it's actually something I came up with, a while back. Sort of like an experiment.", the blonde laughed sheepishly, "Its actually grape squash with two scoops of vanilla ice cream on the top. Nothing else."

"Wow, you must have invented a lot of these, huh?", Levy stared at the blonde in awe.

The blonde waved her hands in front of her, "N-No. I tend to come up with them only when I feel like it, which is…not a lot. I mean, I came up with this while I was in college.

It was so hot at that time there, and I was craving for some ice cream _and_ grape squash.. both at the same time. So I thought, why not make a grape juice with vanilla float. I mean, they serve coke floats at cafes. So why not grape juice floats.", the blonde shrugged.

"And it came out greater than I expected. I sometimes drink only this when I don't have time to have food before college classes start, since the drink is heavy enough"

Now Juvia also joined Levy in ogling the blonde.

"W-Well, do you have any drinks that might involve strawberry flavour?!"

The blonde turned towards the voice only to hold back a shriek as she stared wide-eyed at a drooling, twinkle-eyed, blushing Erza close to her face.

The blonde started sweating, "I-I haven't come up with one yet."

The red-head lowered her head in disappointment.

".. But I could…try?"

Erza immediately perked up, "And I want to be the first one to try it!"

"O-Okay..", the blonde nodded, squirming in her seat.

The scarlet head nodded in approval, before moving away to continue slurping on her drink.

"Mmmm. For once, I agree with this pygmy over here…" the brunette who decided to try a sip, commented before slurping it again.

Levy growled but was too immersed in her drink to retort.

Cana merely smirked at the bluenette before facing the blonde with a small smile, "This drink _is_ pretty _great_!",

The blonde blushed slightly, "Thank you."

Slurping the last of her drink, Levy sighed in content, "Ah, I bet Lisanna would love-", she cut herself off with a gasp and sat straight up with eyes wide in realization.

The other girls had the same reaction as they stared wide-eyed at the petite girl.

"We totally forgot!", Levy began to shiver a little.

The blonde stared at them in confusion.

Immediately taking charge, the red-head stepped forward, "We still got one hour left! Move your butts! Come on! Come on!", the red-head clapped twice again as the girls scrambled into position lining up side by side.

The blonde sweat-dropped as the straw dropped from her lips into the half-empty glass, "Um.."

"Get your gears together and report back here in half an hour! Any questions?!"

Levy raised a shaky hand, "E-Erza, you forgot the most important thing..", she nodded in Lucy's direction.

"Hmm?", the red-head turned to look over to where the bluenette was gesturing at, before jumping in her spot on seeing the blonde with the straw back in her mouth as she watched them with wide brown eyes and head tilted in confusion, "Ah! Lucy!"

The blonde jolted in her seat with a loud slurp.

"I forgot about you completely! How can I forget the most important person in this plan?!"

The red-head scurried over to the blonde and lowered head, clenching her fist in front of her, "I am so sorry Lucy. Please punch me."

The wide-eyed blonde tried to lean back into her couch, trying to get as much distance as she could from the girl, not knowing what to do. Her eyes immediately darted over to the girls behind the red-head who sweat-dropped at the red-head's actions.

Looking back at the girl bowing in front of her, Lucy laughed bashfully, "N-No, it's okay. I mean you were too tired after all."

Lifting her head up, a small smile adorned her face as Erza nodded, "Well then, as an apology I will buy you anything you want after the cele-."

"Ah! Erza, you're kind of ruining the surprise, aren't you?", Levy yelled out as she flailed her arms and laughed sheepishly at Lucy.

The blonde only hummed in confusion.

"Oh, right! I almost let it slip out!", again the red-head clenched her fist in front of her as she grimaced, "Someone please punch me."

Not being able to take it anymore, the half-drunk brunette behind the red-head made to take a step forward, as she raised her bottle into the air, "Fine! If-"

Juvia slapped a hand over Cana's mouth while Levy held onto her wielded arm, both the girls trying to restrain the irritated brunette.

Levy sheepishly laughed again, "Um, Erza, we're kind of going off track again, aren't we? Those strawberry shortcakes will be finished by the time we reach there~."

Immediately Erza straightened up, "Move your butts ya pansies! Move it! Move it!"

The girls again stood up straight, the blonde scampering to stand beside them.

"You are to report back here in 30 minutes! Am I clear?!"

The blonde along with the girls mock saluted, "Yes, Ma'am!"

* * *

><p>Shuffling out of the bathroom after a long shower, with nothing but a towel hanging loosely around his waist, the pink-haired man sighed.<p>

Running a hand through his dripping wet locks, he closed his eyes for a moment.

Apparently the shower had done nothing to calm him down.

He sighed again for the umpteenth time.

Calloused hands went to the knot of the towel tied loosely near his right V-line, his fingers hooking onto it.

Maybe food might bring back a little life in him….

And the towel dropped to his ankles.

* * *

><p>"Hey you guys! Over here!"<p>

Lucy and the rest of the girls snapped their heads towards the source, panting heavily from their recent marathon.

The blonde caught sight of a slender hand raised high up in the air waving at them, her eyes immediately falling onto a white-haired pixie cut girl who was pivoted around in her chair.

She was seated at one of the large rectangular tables at the back of the café, her mouth opened into a wide smile as her hand flailed vigorously in the air.

Another girl with long white hair sat opposite to her, smiling at them with her arms crossed on the table.

The group maneuvered their way through the crowded tables towards the duo.

As soon as they reached their destination, the pixie-cute girl was quick to whine, "What took you guys so looong?! You guys are an _hour_ late! The cafe is only a fifteen minute walk from the apartment. What happened?!"

"Yeah, usually you guys are on time or even earlier than us when Erza is with you", the other woman wore a concerned look.

Being new to the group, the blonde waited quietly for all of them settle in so as to pick the last seat available

The red-head sat down next to the long white haired girl before turning to look at the women, "Sorry. Had a bit of a tug-of-war fiasco."

Levy laughed as she sat next to pixie-cut girl, "More like a luggage disaster."

The brunette snorted into the flask in her hand, "This is what happens when you pack your luggage that competes Mount Everest." She plonked into the seat on the shorter side of the table, next to the long-white haired girl.

"Excuse me?", the red-head raised a stern brow at the brunette.

The brunette quickly looked away with the mouth of the flask stuffed back into her mouth.

Lucy waited for Juvia to pick out a seat but Levy already beat her to it.

"Lucy, come sit here!", Levy beamed at Lucy, patting the chair next to her.

"Yes Lucy-san. Juvia will sit next to Erza-san.", the bluenette made herself comfortable in the chair next to the red-head.

"Hey! You already had your time with her. Now it's _my_ turn!", the short white-haired girl puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Levy.

"Huh? If anyone's sitting next to her, it's going to be _me_, since _I_ was the one who came up with this idea in the first place! And not to mention, I bought _all_ the decorations for our apartment!", Levy held an equally intense glare.

The blonde sweat-dropped.

"_I_ was the one who picked out this cafe in the first place and went through all the trouble of reserving this table! So _I_ should be the one sitting next to her!", the pixie-cut girl growled.

"I've known her more than you do, so it should be _me_!", the bluenette fumed.

By now both the girls were in each other's face, screaming.

"That's enough you two!"

The girls immediately shut up at the red-head's stern voice.

"Lucy, why don't you decide where to- Eh?", Erza stared up at the blonde in concern, "Lucy….Are you listening?"

The girls turned to look at the blonde who was now blushing slightly as she stared at Levy and the pixie-cut girl while seeming to be deep in her thoughts.

Levy waved in front of her face, "Luuucyyy.."

The blonde snapped out of her trance, "Yeah? Ah! S-Sorry!"

"Hmm? What were you thinking about? Why were you staring at us like that?", the pixie-cut girl titled her head in confusion.

"A-Ah..I-It's..I-It's nothing!", the blonde waved her hands in front of her.

"Eh? Then why are you all fidgety? Now, I am _really_ curious.", the pixie-cut girl and Levy stared intently at the blonde trying to read her face.

"S-Seriously it's nothing you guys!"

"Hmm? Now, _I _am curious. Please tell us Lucy.", the red-head was now staring curiously at the blonde.

Sweat coated her forehead as the blush on her cheeks darkened slightly.

She never liked attention….Well, not this much anyway…

"U-Um…W-Well.. I-I was just confused. I-I mean, back at the apartment, I thought Levy-san and Cana-san were lovers. B-But seeing Levy-san and her…", the blonde gestured at the pixie-cut girl, "having a sort of…l-lover's quarrel…I couldn't help but feel confused as to who she is..." the blonde trailed off when her eyes landed on a furiously blushing Levy, "…dating?"

The whole table was silent.

Erza, Juvia and the pixie-cut girl were blushing. Cana was shaking slightly with half her face hidden behind her flask, while the long white-haired girl just gazed at Lucy with a smile on her face with her chin propped upon her hands resting on the table, "My, my.."

Not able to control anymore, the brunette spurted out her drink, laughing out loud as her liquid dribbled down her chin. The café was luckily busy at this time for her bellows to be heard.

"Y-You've earned q-quite a first.. heheh-impression of y-yourself, Levy!", Cana hunched over the table as she laughed hard.

The blushing pixie-cut girl looked sheepishly at the blonde, waving her hands to gesture at herself, Levy and Cana, "W-We- We're not-"

"Shut it pervert!", a slightly recovered Levy glared at Cana before turning back to look at the blonde, squirming in her seat, "I-I..am not…", but she couldn't complete her sentence as she closed her eyes in embarrassment with a slight whimper.

Lucy gasped in realization, "O-oh..I-I'm s-sorry! I-I thought-"

"N-No..It's okay! Really! I-It's okay!", the bluenette waved her hands in front of her before regaining her composure with twinkling eyes, "But you know, if you want to make it up to me, you can do so by sitting here next to me!", she smiled brightly at the blonde, patting the chair next to her.

"O-Oka-"

"Like. I. **Said**. She is sitting next to **_me_**!", the pixie-cut girl growled.

Forgetting their earlier predicament, both girls were again in each other's face.

Levy wasn't willing to back down, "And, like _I said_, I've known her more than you! So it should be **me!**"

"Oh yeah?! We would have been best gal pals by now if _you_ had quit hogging her all to yourself!", the white-haired girl's voice raised an octave higher.

"Yeah right!", the petite bluenette snorted, "She doesn't even know your name.", the girl haughtily crossed her arms across her chest, a smug smirk on her face as she leaned back in her seat triumphantly.

With a gasp, the wide-eyed white-haired girl jumped up from her seat in embarrassment, hitting her knee under the table in the process, eliciting a restrained squeal of pain, earning snickers from the petite blue-haired girl next to her and wincing from the blonde.

A wide wavering smile stretched across the poor girl's face, biting her tongue to prevent herself from cussing out loud. She already had the most perfect greeting, but now most of the words slipped her mind owing to the pain in her knee.

"H-Hi Lucy! L-Lisanna Strauss! G-Glad…f-finally to…..meet you!", the smiling girl stretched her hand towards the blonde as a tear threatened to escape her now tightly shut eyes.

Lucy couldn't ignore her plight, "I-It's nice to meet you too, Lisanna.", she shook her hand, "But, um, are you alright?", a concerned look crossed her face when the curve of the smile on the white-haired girl's face now began to turn upside down.

The girl immediately dropped her 'cheerful' demeanor and whimpered, "N-No!", and collapsed back into her seat, propping her leg onto the chair next to her and massaging it.

The blonde felt troubled, "Do you need ice for it or something-"

"No, no. It will go away in a second. Sorry for worrying you.", Lisanna laughed sheepishly, a tint of blush now adorning her cheeks.

"Don't mind my sister, Lucy. She's always clumsy.", the blonde turned her head to look at the other white-haired girl whose face bore a resemblance to Lisanna.

"My name's Mirajane Strauss. Lisanna's older sister.", the woman smiled extending her hand towards Lucy who shook it in return, "Nice to meet you!"

"Come Lucy, sit!", Levy again patted the chair next to her.

"Ugh! I can't believe you!", Lisanna glared at Levy again.

"Wha-"

"I said, that's enough!", the red-head who was so absorbed in the dessert section of the menu, snapped up to glare at them again as she hissed, "_I can't think with you two __**yapping**__ in each other's faces!_"

The shaking girls straightened up in their seats, "Y-Yes Ma'am!"

"Lucy will sit in between you two, _if_ she doesn't mind that is?", the red-head looked up at the blonde with an enquiring look.

"Yeah, a-any seat's fine by me.", the blonde nodded.

Erza nodded, "Good. Levy why don't you scooch over?"

The bluenette immediately complied.

Lucy tilted her head a little in thought as she sat down, '_Is Erza really __**that**__ intimidating?'_

Mira looked around the table, "Now that we are past the introduction pa-"

"Wait. Now that Juvia thinks about it, Juvia doesn't recall introducing herself to Lucy…" , the bluenette trailed off as she looked at Levy in mild shock.

Levy only tilted her head frowning, "What are you saying, Juvia? Of course we did. Remember? Right after Erza….", her eyes widened, "…arrived?"

Levy gasped, "Oh my god!", before snapping her head towards the blonde who got startled at Levy's sudden movement, "Oh my god, Lucy! We're so sorry! Ugh! How could we have forgotten?!"

Lucy lightly waved her hands in front of her, "I-It's okay, Levy-san-"

The flustered bluenette flailed her hands, ""A-A-Ah! N-no! No! Just Levy is fine!", but her eyes widened as she slapped a hand over mouth and twisted in her seat to face forward.

Dropping the hand from her mouth, the flustered bluenette looked down with a frown, muttering to herself, "A-Ah crap! That's not how it was supposed to go!"

Lucy watched as the bluenette closed her eyes and took in a deep breath to compose herself before turning back to face her.

Extending her hand towards the bewildered blonde, the girl smiled brightly with twinkling eyes, the blush still coating her cheeks, ""L-Levy McGarden! I'm so glad to have finally met you, Lucy!"

The blonde who was now slightly flustered, nodded with a shaky hum and a small smile as she shook her hand, "S-Same here.."

"Please forgive me for not introducing myself earlier Lucy."

The blonde snapped her head towards the voice to see Erza smiling politely who too extended her hand, "My name's Erza Scarlet. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The blonde shook her hand with a curt nod and polite smile, "Pleasure to meet you too, Erza-san."

"Please, call me Erza. This here is Juvia Lockser", Erza gestured her hand over to a slightly blushing bluenette sitting on Mira's other side.

"Juvia is happy to meet Lucy-san!", the bluenette smiled brightly at the blonde.

The blonde nodded as she smiled, "Me too.."

"And that there, is Cana Alberona.", the red-head waved her hand to the brunette, who was leaned back in her chair with her face covered by the flask, before lowering it a little to nod at the blonde with a smirk, "How ya doing? If you ever need to hook up with someone, you come to me.", the brunette jerked a thumb towards herself before her face disappeared behind the flask again.

The blonde blushed slightly.

An irritated sigh escaped the petite bluenette's lips as she closed her eyes and tilted her head down whispering, "Some people never change.."

Mira chuckled silently as she observed the interaction with her chin propped up on her hand resting on the table before straightening up, "Well then. Let's order, shall we?"

As if on cue, a raven-haired waitress strode up to them

"Welcome to Mary Joe's Café. I will be your waitress for the evening. May I have your orders?", the waitress smiled politely at them.

Erza immediately perked up, "Yes. I would like three-_four, four _plates of your Strawberry Fantasy. But, let me get this straight.", the red-head leaned closer, her expression now serious startling the poor waitress, "It is a _triple_ layer strawberry shortcake with strawberry ice cream and strawberry syrup on it right."

The waitress nodded shakily, "Y-Yes Ma'am. That is correct."

"Could you maybe add extra four or five strawberries as toppings?", the red-head's expression immediately changed, her eyes twinkling.

The blonde swore she saw drool coming out of her mouth.

'_She reeeally likes strawberries, doesn't she…?'_

Levy's head disappeared behind the menu folder.

Lisanna smiled at the waitress, "I would like a lemon soda and a Fresh Vegetable sandwich please?"

"I would also like a lemon soda and an omurice, please.", Mira softly smiled at the waitress while closing her menu folder, before turning to look at Cana who was sipping on her flask, "Cana?"

The brunette let go of her flask with a pop to look at the girl with a raised brow and half-lidded eyes, "What?"

"Are you not hungry?"

The brunette shrugged, "Meh, I'll just have one Cobb Salad."

"Juvia would like a Caesar Salad with iced water.", the bluenette beamed at the waitress who nodded while writing down the order.

The Mira propped her chin back onto her palm before turning to look at the blonde who was looking perplexed at the menu, "Lucy?"

The blonde snapped her head towards the girl, "Ah! Um..", she snapped back to look at the menu fidgeting in her seat.

"Take your time.", the sudden whisper near her ear startled her as she jerked her head towards to her left to see Lisanna's face close to her, peeking into her menu with a small smile on her face.

"Ah, I'm not that hungry-"

Her stomach growled suddenly, contradicting her words.

Lisanna snickered, "That's not what your tummy's telling us~."

The blonde blushed at the girl's sing-song voice before snapping her head towards the waitress, "I-I'll have the Classic Club Sandwich with Fresh Seasonal Vegetables on the side please?!"

"Good choice.", the waitress nodded smiling at the blonde and scribbled it down in her notepad, before turning to look at Levy who was still immersed in the menu, "And what would you like, Miss?"

Not hearing the query, the bluenette's eyes were narrowed in concentration as they glided from top to bottom of one leaf before darting to the next leaf, as she mumbled under her breath.

"What to choose.. What to chooooose..", Levy squinted even more, her nose now touching the menu as if sniffing each dishes.

Lisanna snorted, "Sniffing won't help you."

Levy bend forward with a growl to glare at the girl seated on the other side of the blonde.

"Levy."

The said girl jumped in her seat at the red-head's stern voice.

"You are the only one left to order.", the red-head looked disapprovingly at her with her arms crossed across her busty chest.

"I-I am?", Levy's eyes wandered over to the others who nodded in reply, "O-Oh.", before stopping at the blonde next to her, who was staring back at her.

"Then… Um..", she snapped her head back to the open menu folder in her hands, before her head disappeared behind it once again.

The girls watched as the menu folder slowly inclined towards the now wide-eyed blonde who was simultaneously leaning away.

The blonde craned her neck towards them as if silently asking them the reason for the bluenette's behavior, only for their faces to mirror a similar expression.

"Psst! Luuucyyy! Psst!"

Lucy snapped her head towards the source of whisper before returning to face forward on finding the folder in her face, but froze and did a double-take.

Hazel eyes peeked out from the side of the menu leaf, tearfully staring at her.

Amusement marred the rest of the girls' faces as they watched the blonde lean towards the folder which widened a little, before morphing into that of alarm when the blonde's head quickly disappeared behind it.

"What is-"

"What did you order?!", Levy whisper-shouted.

Lisanna snorted, "You know we can hear you."

A scowling Levy leaned above the blonde's head and snapped, "Shaddap!", before ducking back down again.

"Well?"

Lucy held back a laugh, "Well, I ordered a Classic Club Sandwich with Fresh Seasonal vegetables as the side-dish."

"Then..", Levy slammed the menu folder down onto the table, "..Then I will have what Lucy's having!"

"Eh? But Levy, will you be able to finish them all?", Mira looked at Levy with a concerned face, "The sandwich itself is pretty heavy."

Lucy shrugged, "Well, I can share my salad if you want?"

"Oh. Okay then!", Levy turned to look at the raven-haired waitress, "The just the Classic Club Sandwich please!"

"Oooh!", The blonde snapped her head towards the waitress with wide eyes, "…could I also have a strawberry milkshake too?"

The waitress nodded, scribbling it down in her notepad, "Most certainly, Ma'am"

Erza immediately perked, "Ooh, I want one too!"

Levy bounced in her seat, "Me too! Me too!"

The waitress nodded, "So that will be four plates of Strawberry Delight with extra strawberries, Fresh Vegetable Sandwich and lime soda, omurice, Cobb Salad, Caesar Salad with iced water, two Classic Club Sandwiches with one Fresh Seasonal Vegetables on the side and three strawberry milkshakes. Anything else?"

Erza shook her head, "No, thank you."

"Very well. Your order will be ready shortly.", the waitress nodded with a smile and left.

"So Levy, Lucy wants to go to the bathroom. Do you want to go too?", Lisanna smirked at the bluenette.

Levy growled, "Ooh, that's it!", the girl shot up from her seat, extending her hands past the blonde who was quick to lean back in her chair out of harm's way, in an attempt to grab a chunk of her white hair.

Lisanna's blue eyes shone with determination as she too shot up from her seat, "Bring it o-"

_"__Enough! I don't want another repeat of what happened at the airport!",_ Erza's hiss sent shivers down everyone's spine….even those sitting at the tables nearby…

"S-Sorry!", the girls immediately retreated from each other, and plonked down in their chairs.

"Exactly what _did _happen at the airport?", Mira curiously stared at her sister with her chin still propped up.

Erza raised a brow at Mira, "I thought Lisanna told you."

"No, I didn't get time to see her at lunch. I am partnered up with Dreyar for that project, remember?", Mira sighed in annoyance.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot.", the red-head lowered her head in thought before looking back up.

"So, care to explain, girls?", her stern eyes were now fixated on the petite bluenette and the pixie cut girl who were now sweating profusely.

"I would've expected this from Levy and Cana. But from _you,_ Lisanna? And you all _had _to drag Juvia down with you.", Erza lowered her head again as she closed her eyes and sighed before looking back up at Lisanna, "I had given you only one job, Lisanna. One job. And that was to watch after these two _leprechauns_..", Erza gestured over to Levy and Cana, ".. and to _make_ sure that they won't cause ruckus at the airport. And now, the airport is in shambles!"

Lisanna had shrunk into her chair, shakily staring back at the red-head with wide teary eyes.

Mira giggled, "Who would've guessed that our residential caretaker would become the destroyer."

The blonde tilted her head a little, '_Was it __**that **__bad?'_

Even though the red-head's 'gaze' was fixated on the two shivering girls in front of her, Juvia and Cana knew well enough that they were also targeted for the bluenette was already melting into the sweat puddle below her and Cana's precious flask was left on the table far away from her. It was at times like these she considered her life over alcohol.

The whole table was silent again, the eeriness spreading to the tables nearby. The soft pleasant music that played in the background began to sound unnerving.

Even the poor innocent blonde who had no idea of what was going on, started to quiver slightly.

Erza raised a stern brow at the girls, with her arms still crossed across her chest, "Well?"

Lisanna fidgeted in her seat, "U-Um.."

Levy dared to take a peek at Erza, "W-Well…"

.

.

.

.

_A loud chime blared out from unseen speakers._

_"__Your attention please. Flight ADxxxxx has arrived at Gate Fxx. Thank You!"_

_Levy groaned, "Why can't the others' flight arrive early like this one."_

_The bluenette had arrived long ago at the airport and was already through with baggage claim and other formalities, and not to mention shopping for decorations and other things as well, before making herself comfortable in one of the seats in the waiting area._

_She would have gone home the minute she set foot into the airport, so as to avoid sharing a cab with a certain brunette who has yet to arrive. But they had already decided to meet up there so as to carry out some….plans._

_Hence Erza appointed Lisanna to be their caretaker to make sure that the airport was still one piece when they returned to their apartment complex._

_Waiting idly at the airport, the bluenette took this time to observe her surroundings._

_A silent gasp escaped her when her eyes landed on a huge model of the Twin Towers of New York a.k.a The World Trade Center, in the middle of the vast complex._

_Her eyes twinkled as they took in the number of Jenga blocks and Lincoln logs that made up the model. Small buildings made out of Jenga blocks surrounded the towers while Domino sticks surrounded the whole arrangement eventually ending at a medium sized model of an F-22 Raptor with two missile launchers on either side of it._

_Overall, it almost looked like a miniature New York City._

_Her eyes took in each every detail of the towers, dragging them upward before her jaw dropped open as they land upon a huge model of a blimp hanging from the roof which was two or three floors high._

_"__Uwaaaa…."_

_"__Levyyyy! Lev- Oof! Excuse me, would you- would you let me thr- Oh god!"_

_The bluenette snapped her head towards the direction of groan._

_Her eyes widened a little when she saw her white-haired friend trying to get unstuck from between two large men who were too busy in their conversation to notice a girl being squished between them._

_The bluenette tried hard to not laugh but failed when a snort escaped her._

_The girl finally managed to pop her way out, making her way towards her all the while fixing her attire with a frown marring her face as she muttered under her breath, "….best day to have a headache."_

_Levy felt a shiver run down her spine at the mention of headache. A Lisanna with headache was bad….__**really bad.**_

_Lisanna smiled brightly on seeing the bluenette staring at her, "Oh, hey! How was your flight?"_

_It would be safe if she doesn't ask her about her headache. _

_Dismissing off the thought, Levy's nervousness faded away when she remembered her last night at home. Levy frowned, "Didn't get much sleep on the flight. I am sleep deprived since Mom decided to keep me up all night.."_

_Lisanna chuckled, "So we can expect treats tonight?"_

_"__Yes! We have to unpack them as soon as possible or else…", Levy sniffed a little, "My precious books…will...", the bluenette didn't dare to complete her sentence._

_The white-haired girl giggled as she patted the whimpering girl's shoulder, "You can count on us!"_

_Looking at the arrival board, Lisanna sighed, "Hmm, Cana's flight has yet to arrive. But I can't see Juvia's flight number.", she frowned, "Maybe it will be later than scheduled.. Anyways we have to wait for them. Erza's strict orders."_

_A gasp suddenly escaped the white-haired girl's lips as her eyes twinkled in excitement._

_"__Huh?", a confused Levy peered at Lisanna's drooling face before following her gaze._

_A large colourful sign board with animal plushie toys printed on it._

_Levy sighed, "Oh boy…"_

_Suddenly two hands clamped down on the bluenette's shoulders and the next thing she knew, she was being jerked back and forth by a squealing Lisanna._

_"__Levy! Levy! Look! Look!"_

_"__I-I d-di-id Li-ss-anna.. Sto-o-op sha-aki-ng m-me-e!"_

_"__Oops!", Lisanna withdrew her hands and clamped them over her mouth with an innocent smile before squealing again, "But look how cuuuute thooose dolphin plushiiiieeesss aaarrre! I wanna buy them nooow!"_

_A dizzy Levy had her hands gripping her head. Great! Sleep-deprived __**and **__puking tendency. This day can't get any better, "Well, who's stopping you? Go and buy them."_

_Lisanna looked at Levy with skepticism, "Eh? But Erza specifically told me to keep an eye on all of you at all times!"_

_A tick mark appeared on her forehead as the bluenette cringed at her whines, "But only I am here now. What harm can __**I**__ do?"_

_"__Hmm..", Lisanna frowned as she looked up, cupping her chin between her fingers._

_Levy growled as she clenched her fists at her sides, "You have __**got **__to be __**kidding **__me!"_

_Lisanna held up her hands in surrender as she sheepishly laughed, "I was just kidding Levy. Wait here! I will be back in a jiffy."_

_Levy sighed as she watched the excited girl scurry off before dropping down in her seat._

_Knowing Lisanna, it would be hours before she returned back and Cana's flight won't arrive in another hour._

_She pulled out a magazine she bought, while shopping for decorations._

_'__Might as well pass the time…'_

_Being immersed in the periodical, the bluenette wasn't sure how much time had passed. Not even the chattering crowds disrupted her concentration._

_"__Well, well, well. Someone's already made themselves at home."_

_Levy snapped her head up, scowling at a smirking and a slightly flushed Cana._

_As much as she wanted to wipe off that stupid smirk off her face, not an ounce of energy was left in her to even retort back. Levy sighed, "I'm not in the mood to play your childish games. So __**I**__, am gonna be the bigger person here and let this pass."_

_However Cana seemed to ignore her as she examined the cover of the periodical in the bluenette's hands, "Eh? No erotica?"_

_Levy's eye twitched in irritation._

_Cana shook her head in disappointment, "Shame. No wonder you got on the right flight.."_

_A tick mark appeared on the bluenette's forehead._

_A distant voice chirped, "I'm baaack!"_

_A wide smile appeared on the bluenette's face as she gazed up at Cana, "I'm surprised that they didn't wheel you in on a wheelchair since you walk worse than an old hag!"_

_Lisanna slid to a stop in front of them, "Cana! You're he- Oof!"_

_"__Who're you calling an old hag!"_

_A grimacing Lisanna rubbed the sore spot on her head as she stared after the retreating figure of a middle aged woman, who had whacked her head with her hand-bag._

_The headache that had been bugging her the whole morning had just started to go down thanks to the aspirin she took on her way to the airport, but now it was here to stay..._

_Lisanna snapped her head to glare at the duo._

_Levy had her hands slapped over mouth, staring at her with wide eyes, "I'm sorry Lisanna!"_

_Cana just snorted._

_Lowering her head a little, the white-haired girl took in a deep breath to calm herself. She didn't want to cause a scene at the airport. Not when she was the one to prevent such things from happening. _

_After all, Erza and Mira did entrust her with the duty. A shiver ran down her spine when Erza's gleaming red eyes flashed across her mind._

_She heaved out another heavy breath. She didn't want to complete that picture._

_The headache just started to get worse._

_"__**Aanywaays..**__", she lifted her head up to glare at the still wide-eyed Levy and a smirking Cana, lifting her phone up to show them the screen, "I got a message from Juvia. Her flight arrived earlier than expected and that she will be waiting at one of the cafes. Apparently, the message was received at 10:00 a.m. I only saw it now while I was at the shop since I forgot to remove it from Silent mode. So that means that she arrived here about half an hour earlier than you Levy.", the girl stared at the bluenette._

_"__Eh? How come she didn't message me..?", the bluenette trailed off as she started rummaging through her bag, "She knows my flight arrival time-Ah!", the girl stared at the phone in her hand, "It switched off again!"_

_Pressing hold the power button, the device lit up to life while Levy slowly craned her neck around to find the girls deadpanning at her._

_Levy giggled sheepishly, "Eheh..", before turning to look at the screen, "Oh, well what do you know. She __**did **__send me a message!"_

_Levy tapped on her screen revealing Juvia's message, "Ah! She arrived here earlier than me! It says she's going to wait at the one of the cafes on the first floor and I am to give her a call when I arrive so that we can meet you together, Lisanna!", Levy turned around to beam at the white-haired girl only to let out a squeak on seeing the death glare being sent towards her by none other than Lisanna herself._

_"__S-Sorry!"_

_"__Well?! Call her already!"_

_"__O-Okay!", the girl fumbled with her device and set it on loud speaker, the beeps blaring out of it._

**_"_****_The subscriber you're calling is out of coverage area. Please try again later.."_**

_"__Um..", Levy nervously dragged her eyes over to Lisanna who started to fume._

_The white-haired girl growled, "Well, let's go find her!"_

_With that she stormed off, tugging on the bags of plushie toys in her hands._

_Levy panicked, "H-Hey, w-wait for me!", she scurried to her seat to tug on her blue trolley case and orange duffel bag, a bored Cana following suit, dragging her trolley case behind her._

_They made it to the first floor via the escalator._

_After scavenging through two or three cafes, the girls got worn out from heaving their baggage around._

_Sitting at the one of the round tables outside a cafe, Levy's eyes sparkled as she pointed in a random direction, "Uwaaahh! Look at that rolling ball clock over there at the end!"_

_Lisanna glanced towards the end of to see a huge wooden framed glass case with small metal balls falling from rail to rail; the case being kept near the glass barricade overlooking the ground floor._

_As much as she wanted to go and take a closer look, her headache has taken the energy out of her._

_She sighed in mild annoyance, "Just try and see if you can get Juvia on the phone.."_

_Levy tapped on her phone to try calling the bluenette._

_The three of them watched the screen as the connection tone blared out from the phone, only for it to get cut off when the device suddenly decided to die on Levy._

_The brunette snorted, "Ah.. At this rate Juvia will come running into our arms in no time."_

_Levy growled, "Shut it, Alberona!"_

_A tick mark appeared on Lisanna's forehead._

_Cana smirked, "Oh? Is the pygmy getting grumpy?"_

_Lisanna took in deep breaths, chanting inwardly, 'Stay calm Lisanna. Just sta-'_

**_"_****_Who you calling pygmy?!"_**

_Again a bag whacked the backside of the white-haired girl's head._

_Levy snapped her head towards the culprit only for her eyes to widen in fear when the same middle-aged woman glaring at them from the adjacent table behind Lisanna._

_Levy cowered back in her seat as she whimpered, "I-I __**s-swear**__ that woman is out to torture us!"_

_"__That's it!"_

_Lisanna shot up from her seat and stormed off._

_"__H-Hey Lisanna! W-Wait! I-I'm sorry!", Levy stormed after the fuming girl while tugging her bags behind her as Cana followed suit after placing a wad of cash on the table for their drinks from the cafe._

_Leaning against the glass barricade, Lisanna hissed as she rubbed the sore spot on her head._

_That woman hit her on that __**same damn spot**__!_

_And now her headache was more and more __**worse**__._

_'__Great! Just. Great!'_

_"__Daddy! I want one!"_

_"__Okay.. Though, I don't know why you're getting all hyped up about it.."_

_Tilting her head up, she saw a small boy pointing up at one of the many sized bouncy balls that filled up the entirety of an enormously huge claw vending machine._

_Lisanna smiled softly as the father gripped hard onto the levers as his face contorted to form weird expressions, leaning his body left and right when he inclined the lever, trying to get the one his son wanted._

_"__I said, shut it!"_

_Lisanna snapped her head towards the approaching, yet still bickering duo before lowering her head as she frowned._

_'__These two..'_

_The white-haired girl gritted her teeth in annoyance as the duo now stood in front of her, their voices getting louder and louder._

_Fishing out her phone from her bag, she tapped on her screen to contact Juvia._

_"__Ooooooh. Whatcha gonna do? Read me a scary story? Aaaaa..I'm scared already!", the brunette wiggled her hands for effect._

_Levy snarled, "That's it!"_

_The bluenette withdrew her hands readying for a punch, only for her elbow to smack the phone out of the white-haired girl's hand._

_Lisanna spat, "GAH! You…you __**rotten brats!**__"_

_"__S-Sorry Lisanna!"_

_Twisting around, Lisanna watched in horror as the device plummeted down._

_She held her breath and waited for her phone to meet its demise. But it miraculously fell on top of a pile of luggage being driven on a baggage cart._

_Regaining her senses, the white-haired girl yelled, "H-Hey! W-Wait!"_

_But the driver seemed to not hear her above the chattering passengers on the ground floor._

_Lisanna made a run for it before the cart drove out of sight, taking the nearest and shortest way to the ground floor…._

_The way by which they came to the first floor…._

_The ascending escalator._

_"__Move out of the way!"_

_The white-haired girl descended down the escalator, pushing and shoving through the almost thick crowd coming up the escalator._

_"__What the-"_

_"__Hey lady! You can't-"_

_"__Waah!"_

_Levy's eyes widened as she watched Lisanna, "H-Hey! Lisanna! Wait! Y-You can't-"_

_ "__Oiii! Ya girlyy! Stop right there!"_

_Levy snapped her head around at the sudden voice only for her face to pale when she saw the middle aged woman dragging a blue trolley case behind her._

_Levy shrieked, "Oh! __**Hell no**__! I am __**not**__ gonna let you get __**me, **__you creepy old woman!"_

_She made to turn towards the same escalator, but one of the straps of her duffel bag caught onto one of the levers of the claw vending machine._

_The panicking bluenette just tugged hard on her bag when she felt a restriction. Of course, she valued her life more than anything!_

_The lever broke off its confines, shooting straight towards the bottom of the escalator panel, hitting the descend button, causing the escalator to change directions, while the duffel bag rammed into the bluenette's back sending her flying into the people who started panicking at the escalator's abrupt change in direction._

_The duffel bag fell down, again on the escalator panel, pushing down the speed button, causing the escalator speed to creep up, while the balls from the vending machine came flowing out like a never ending waterfall, bouncing towards the moving staircase._

_The brunette, who stopped at the top of the escalator so as to not get caught up in the fiasco, stared after the now screaming yet toppling bluenette, scratching the back of her head, "That idiot…"_

_Meanwhile…_

_A little far away, a long blue-haired woman clad in sleeveless polo neck dress sighed as she dragged herself out of the café, "Ah…Juvia shouldn't have drank so much water...", but her eyes twinkled as she clenched her hands in front of her chest, "But that fizzy water was soooo gooood…"_

_She sighed yet again, "Juvia wishes the others would get here already. Juvia wonders what is taking the girls so long?", but her eyes widened as she gasped, "What if…they already came here while Juvia was in the restroom! Juvia shouldn't have drank so much…"._

_Tears welled up in her eyes at the possible of thought of them leaving without her before her eyes caught sight of a familiar brown head._

_A low whisper escaped her lips, "Cana-san…"_

_The bluenette took off at high speed, yelling at the top of her lungs, "CAANA-SAAAAAN!"_

_The said brunette, who was scowling after a tumbling Levy snapped her head towards the voice, only for her eyes to widen slightly in relief at the thought of having found their missing roommate, but widened in horror at the raging middle aged woman who bounded behind her._

_"__What the-"_

_The middle aged woman who caught sight of the brunette waved her bag in the air, "STOP RIGHT THERE MISSY!"_

_Cana took a step back as she gulped, her face contorting into grimace. She screamed at the top of her lungs, "LIKE __**HELL **__I WILL! __**WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME**__?!"_

_The brunette twisted around only to stop herself again from falling into the chaos. _

_She turned back around to go and find another exi-_

_"__CAAANAA-SAAN!"_

_Juvia who was almost nearing the brunette failed to see the balls on the floor._

_Cana's eyes widened as she flailed her arms, screaming, "JUVIA NOOO! LOOK OU-"_

_Juvia frowned, "WHA-"_

_She stepped on the many balls on the floor, hurtling towards the now open-mouthed Cana. _

_Juvia slammed right into the brunette, sending both of them into the turmoil on the escalator below._

_._

_._

_._

_"__Ah! Thank you sir!", the white-haired girl hugged her phone to her chest while the driver just nodded at her._

_Tapping on her screen, she raised her phone to her ear but paused when screams and shouts behind her caught her attention._

_She twirled around with a confused frown on her face, before her eyes widened when she saw a blue duffel bag ramming into her petite blue-haired friend causing her to fly straight into the people on the escalator, which somehow seemed to have stopped at the exact same time before starting to descend downwards._

_Weren't those balls in that...machine? _

_And, is it her, or was the speed of this escalator beginning to creep up?_

_She watched as people began to panic, some screaming as they fell down with the bluenette, some trying to run up the speeding steps on reflex, while some began to tumble backwards when the balls hit them in the face._

_Her mouth fell open._

_A human avalanche had already formed on this unbelievably long escalator._

_Not to mention, a screaming Cana and.. wait, is that Juvia?_

_And the human avalanche…it was headed towards her way…and where was she…._

_Her face turned ghostly pale._

_Near the bottom of the escalator…_

_"__SAAAVE YOURSELF!"_

_Snapping out of her daze, Lisanna watched in horror as the driver of the baggage cart ran away._

_Twisting around, the girl made to make a run for it, but a huge weight slammed into her back sending her flying into the baggage cart behind her…._

_._

_._

_._

_A pained groan escaped her lips; her eyes squeezed shut from the pain that shot across her whole body, as she lay flat on her stomach over the pile of suitcases and bags on the cart; the lower half of her body dangled down in the front driver's seat while the upper half laid on the wagon behind it._

_A not-so-heavy lump wriggled above her. Lisanna growled inwardly on recognizing the whimpers that elicited from the lump._

_Squinting her eyes open, she caught sight of Cana, a little away from her on the pile, lying on her back with an almost unconscious Juvia on top._

_"__Juvia…get off of me…"_

_"__Mmm..Juvia is feeling dizzy…."_

_Lisanna didn't miss the few people who were also on the other wagons attached to the car._

_With a grunt, the white-haired girl tried to push herself up only for her leg to hit something and push it up in the process._

_Lisanna froze with wide eyes, "Wha-"_

_Her words morphed into screams, mixed with squeals and yells of the others passengers on board, as the car which came to life came to life began to speed off into a random direction, swerving left and right whenever she tried to yank her other leg that was stuck in the steering wheel._

_Spectators ran in panic, jumping out of the car's way._

_Cana yelled, ""STOP THE DAMN CAR, LISAAANNAA!"_

_Lisanna glared at her, "AS IF I HADN'T THOUGHT OF __**THAT**__ ALREADY!"_

_The brunette snarled, "__**STOP**__ THE DAMN__** CAR**__!"_

_"__HOW CAN I WITH THIS IMP ON TOP OF ME AND MY LEG STUCK IN THE WHEEL?!"_

_"__I __**DON'T**__ CARE! JUST STOP THE FREAKI-"_

_The car flew a few feet up as it ran over an abandoned bag, the wagons following suit, causing the screaming people at the back to tumble off while the girls clung onto the ropes and handles of the wagons._

_A now conscious Levy started to scream, "OH MY GOD! WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA __**DIE**__! __**WE'RE GONNA**__ -"_

_"__SHUT UP LEVY! __**SHUT. UUUUP!**__", a red-faced Lisanna scowled at the bluenette who got thrown over Cana after the jump._

_Juvia, who was now on top of Lisanna, was screaming bloody murder, "NUUUUOOOOHHH, I DON'T WANNA DIEEEE! I DON'T-"_

_"__SHUT THE HELL UP, JUVIAAAA! I WILL __**FREAKING**__ SHOVE MY WINE BOTTLE DOWN YOUR THROAT IF THAT'S THE __**LAST**__ THING I DOO!"_

_"__WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SCREAMING AT __**HER**__ FOR?!", Levy scowled down at Cana who raised a sceptical brow at her._

_"__OH, YOU WANNA FIGHT __**NOOOW**__?!"_

_Levy screamed, "WHA- __**NOW**__, YOU ARE __**REEEALLLY **__GETTING ON MY NE-"_

_"__OH! YOU HAVE __**GOT**__ TO BE SHITTING ME!"_

_Cana and the other snapped their heads towards the now cussing white-haired girl._

_Their faces paled._

_The car was speeding straight towards the New York City model._

_Levy and Cana immediately clung onto each other for dear lives._

_Tears sprung out of their eyes as the brunette screamed at the top of her lungs, ""HIT THE BRAKES, LISAAANNAAAAA! __**HIT THE DAMN BRAAAAKES**__!"_

_"__ARE YA __**FREAKING**__**DEAF**__ ALBERONAAA?! I CAN'T BECAUSE I AM STUCK! __**I AM FREAKING STUUUCK!**__"_

_The car somehow picked speed as the girl's words now changed into high-pitched screams._

_Suddenly the power indicator blared out signalling low battery before the car started to slow down._

_The teary-eyed screaming girls could only watch with wide eyes as the vehicle neared the model, the shadow of the nearing Twin Towers beginning to loom over them._

_Everyone held in their breaths as the car tires rolled nearer and nearer…and nearer…_

_And nearer…_

_The wheels creaked to a stop._

_Everyone sighed in relief._

_Cheers erupted throughout as claps rung throughout._

_Levy squealed in happiness as she hugged a grinning brunette._

_Lisanna wiped her face off cold sweat while Juvia collapsed backwards onto the pile, unconscious._

_Pounding steps began to erupt as everyone snapped their heads to see the airport security beginning to appear out of who knows where._

_"__AHA! NOW YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RUN!"_

_The girls turned their heads to see the middle aged woman bounding towards them with the blue case in tow._

_Lisanna squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the pain._

_"__OW!"_

_Lisanna cautiously blinked her eyes open in confusion, before landing upon a frowning Cana who was rubbing her head while Levy cowered behind Cana._

_Cana scowled at the woman, "Why the hell did you-"_

_"__Wrong person, but I don't care.", the woman glared at Levy, "Give me back my bag before I make one out ya!"_

_Levy tilted her head in confusion, "Huh? What bag…?", her words trailed off as her eyes landed on the bag tag dangling from the case behind the woman._

_Name: Levy McGarden._

_"__Oh.."_

_"__Aha! Found it!", the lady scurried over to the pile of luggage behind the girls and pulled out the case on which the Levy sat on._

_Heaving the case onto the ground, the woman shot one last glare at the shivering bluenette as she cracked her knuckles, before walking away with the case._

_But her dramatic departure was short lived when she stepped on one of the stray balls on the floor, sending her toppling backwards into her suitcase, her handbag flying out of her hands in the process._

_Out of the bag, which was already open, many things flew out, one of which was a compact rolling on the ground towards them._

_Everyone stared wide-eyed as the round tin went under the train of wagons and finally out under the car, knocking down a domino._

_The sticks knocked into one another eventually going around the large Twin Towers much to everyone's relief._

_Levy who was staring at the model, gasped._

_Cana craned her neck towards her, frowning, "What is it?"_

_"__The sticks…", her hand came up to hover over mouth as the bluenette stared at the model with wide eyes, "…they are not arranged to knock down the Twin Towers…"_

_Lisanna turned her head towards the bluenette, "What are you saying Levy?"_

_"__Those sticks..", Levy pointed towards the sticks which were now falling down on the other side of the towers, "…they are arranged similar to a Rude Goldberg model…They lead to those missiles…"_

_"__What?!"_

_The girls and a now conscious Juvia, snapped their head back towards the replica with wide eyes._

_"__Uh-Oh…"_

_The domino effect ended behind the aircraft model before a loud click was heard and the missiles went flying off at jet speed._

_A crash sounded as one of the jets shot through the rolling ball clock._

_The whole arrangement in the case collapsed, as the metal balls rolled out of their railings, out of the case and down the first floor._

_High pitched-sounds similar to the ricochet of bullets echoed throughout as everyone ducked down when the balls bounded off from walls and whatnot into random directions at lightning speed._

_One of the many balls shot straight into one of the clamps holding the blimp, the brace unclamping under the force of the hit causing beak of the blimp to tilt down before swinging up and down repeatedly._

_Everyone stared up in horror at the craft._

_"__WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON AROUND HERE?!"_

_The girls cringed before slowly craning their head down to see a fuming Erza stomping out of the crowd._

_All of them clung onto each other as they shook in fear, the bouncing killer metallic balls long forgotten._

_When her eyes landed upon the girls in front of the almost ruined model, the red head froze as her eyes widened before her face darkened as she slowly trudged towards them._

_Clenched her fists at her sides while bangs covered her face, Erza's whole body shook with rage, "You…You __**four**__…I should've known…"_

_Suddenly one of the balls shot through the blimp the same time the rest of the clamps gave out under the blimp's weight._

_The whimpering girls shook in fear as the red-head slowly began to inch her way towards them, chuckling lowly, "__**Hohoho…You four are in for a biiiig**__-"_

_The deflated blimp, now a gigantic grey sheet finally settled on the red-head…._

_._

_._

_._

The blonde looked off to side as innocent as she can appear, gulping hard, '_Yup! They are doomed..!'_

An awkward silence hung over the group as the four guilty girls squirmed and sweated in their seats while Erza stared hard at them with her arms still crossed across her chest.

Mira was smiling wide, her eyes closed and her chin still propped up, yet a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her forehead, "Y-You girls sure know how to make a _grand_ entrance into a country."

Erza sighed as she lowered her head, closing her eyes, "I haven't reported this to the Master…", the girls let out a huge sigh of relief, "….**yet**", the red head glared at the girls through her bangs.

The girls shrieked as they sat up straight.

"But then, we usually don't return _this_ many at the same time.", Mira looked at Erza in an attempt to calm her down.

Confusion marred the blonde's face, "Why did you guys have to rush back anyway, if you don't mind me asking? Was it because of a sudden project…?"

"To welcome you, of course!", Levy beamed at the blonde.

"H-Huh?"

"We wanted to be here when you arrived on the first day itself, but we didn't get the return tickets for that day since your arrival was all so soon and all, so…yeah..", the bluenette rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"My arrival _was_ a little too soon and unexpected... I mean, I informed the landlady only three days before, but then… how come you guys managed to get hold of the flight tickets?", Lucy tilted her head to look at Levy.

"W-Well..", Levy cautiously turned her head to peek at the red head.

Scrunching her brows in confusion, the blonde dragged her eyes towards the red head.

Erza was deathly pale as bangs covered her face. In fact, the blonde swore she could see the red-head shivering slightly.

Mira stared at Erza with slightly widened eyes, "Wait. Don't tell me, you got them with-with Ichiya-san's help?!"

Erza didn't respond, her lips quivering in response.

Mira let out a snort before turning her body to the side as her face went out of view. Her body shook as suppressed giggles escaped from her, before turning back around, a few moments later, with a flushed face.

The raven-haired waitress arrived with their food, "Here are your orders, ladies! We hope you enjoy!"

The waitress set them down in front of the respective customers.

The petite bluenette sat up in her seat, "Ah! All this story telling has made me hungry!"

Erza glared at her, "I ought to starve you to death, but since today is special, I will let you all off the hook."

"T-Thank you!"

"Um…May I ask? What is the occasion?", a confused expression marred her face again as Lucy looked at Erza who glanced at Mira with a small smile.

Mira nodded at Erza before turning to face the blonde with an adoring smile on her face, "Well, we are all here to celebrate the addition of a new member to our group."

Her breath hitched in her throat as her lips parted slightly. The corners of her eyes stung, '_Why…?'_

"And a new member to our family,", Erza smiled as she raised her glass.

Teary brown eyes widened at the gesture, '_But still, I…'_

Levy and Juvia smiled lovingly at the blonde as they too raised their glasses while Cana held a small grin, holding up her metal flask.

Pink lips drew into a tight line, quivering slightly.

Erza smiled affectionately at the blonde, "To Lucy…"

Taking a deep calming breath, she swallowed down the lump that formed in her throat. '_No…'_

With a small smile, the blonde shakily raised her glass.

_'__Not yet anyway…'_

Glasses clinked together.

"To Lucy!"

* * *

><p><strong>Ah! Finished!<strong>

**I know this chapter was boring ****_and _****long. But please bear with me. This was a filler chapter before something-something happens in the next chapter or the one after the next. **

**Sorry for the spelling mistakes or grammatical errors if any. I will correct it as soon as possible.**

**And I promise to update as soon as possible. **

**In the meantime, please leave a review. Feel free to point out the errors.**

**Oh! By the way, to those of you who don't know, I've already posted a new story: " It all started when he STOLE MY SKIRT!", which I will be updating next. I just need to finish editing it.**

**Thank you for your time…**

**Arigatou!**


	10. Chapter 10: Author's Note

**Hey guys.**

**It's been long. I know. I'm sorry. I've been going through some tough situations now and it hasn't been easy for me. But I am still holding on.**

**But this AN is to tell you all that I am NOT discontinuing this story. In fact, I am going to rewrite this story. Yes you've read it right! Cause this baby is faaar bigger and ****_waay_**** too important to me to just abandon like some unwanted puppy.**

**If you've read my recent one 'Forever Shine For Eternal Mine' you will see that my writing style has completely changed. **

**During my time off from writing, I've gotten a different idea to start this story. ****_And _****I've got more and more story plots amounting to over 200? 300? Maybe even 500. I don't know.. Maybe even much more. **

**Anyways, I planned to rewrite this story because I want it to be perfect.. not that I don't care about the others. It's just that, this story had been on my mind for more than three or four years now. And the plot has just gotten more and more longer and complicated.**

**But don't worry, the beginning and all will be same. I just want to change the way I wrote it. Like.. to make it more… unputdownable?**

**I am really sorry if you guys are annoyed with my whole rewriting idea. But as soon as I publish the first chapter or prologue, I want your opinions as to whether you like that or whether I should continue with this one. And I hope you all will support me on this idea.**

**I will let you all know as soon as I publish the rewritten one, with another AN here. And I will update it as regularly as possible. Don't worry. I will publish it very sooner than you think. I already started working on it. So it will be published soon. Probably next month at the most.**

**In the meanwhile, I will start updating 'Forever Shine For Eternal Mine', starting next weekend, since I already have three-fourth of the story written down. I haven't been able to update it since I had to go through some tough situations and am still going through it. But I will start updating it regularly.**

**And one more thing.**

**Should I update 'It all started when he STOLE MY SKIRT!' and 'Forever Shine For Eternal Mine' alternatively or one story at a time?**

**If it is one story at a time, then I will finish 'Forever Shine For Eternal Mine' first, then onto the others… although I feel like updating 'It all started when he STOLE MY SKIRT!' along with it, but not as frequent as the other one.**

**And I've also started a tumblr account also, a month back. My Tumblr url is the same. starfiresusan18.**

**Sorry for the long AN.**

**Tell me what you guys think?**


	11. Chapter 11: Rewritten version published!

**Hey guys!**

**I know its been almost a year. Many things happened. Long story.**

**Anyways. This is to let you all know that the rewritten version is up. I hope you all like it.**

**The older version will be taken down after sometime..**

**Let me know if I should continue and how I did?**

**Thank you!**


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